Far Fewer Dead in NOLA than Expected

Good news for sure!

The sweep of New Orleans to get voluntary evacuees out is nearly complete, and far fewer bodies than expected or feared have been found. "I think there's some encouragement in what we've found in the initial sweeps that some of the catastrophic deaths that some people predicted may not have occurred," said Terry Ebbert, New Orleans homeland security chief.

ie. Mayor (my heads exploding) Nagin for one.

Update: Louisiana - The official death toll from Hurricane Katrina has risen to at least 372, with 154 confirmed dead in and around the flooded city of New Orleans, officials said on Saturday.

At this time, officials working in conjunction with coroners from local parishes have confirmed 154 deaths," the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said, raising Thursday's state toll from 118.

The death toll in Mississippi rose to 211 on Saturday from 204, according to the state's Emergency Management Agency, bringing the total toll in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida to 372.