Officials say talk of mass fatalities from IKE has no basis in fact

[maddezmom]

For some, rumors harbor 'the truth' of Ike's carnage
Officials say talk of mass fatalities has no basis in fact
By ROSANNA RUIZ Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Sept. 21, 2008, 9:16AM
Share Print Email Del.icio.usDiggTechnoratiYahoo! BuzzImages from Galveston and other areas along Texas' coast reveal the scope of Hurricane Ike's destructive power, while the death toll remains relatively low.

But, for some, the real story of the lives lost to Hurricane Ike remains untold.

Thousands of bodies are floating in the Gulf of Mexico, dangling from trees or otherwise obscured by debris and unaccounted for, these people insist in online forums and posted reader comments. A government conspiracy and media blackout are afoot, they say, which explains why those images remain unseen.

Coast Guard rescuers, law enforcement agencies and government officials all say otherwise, but they're part of the conspiracy, right?

It is human nature in moments of frayed nerves to allow imaginations to run roughshod. After storms and other disasters, rumors are certain to swirl.

more:http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6014137.html

[livelongandprosper]

1. Anything new? We still don't know the accurate death toll from Katrina

Death tolls are only interesting when humans kill humans, I guess.

[Cogito ergo doleo]

2. There is a reason why people are reacting this way, and to

just blindly trust what the government reports as fact would be to ignore the lessons of Iraq and Katrina, and all the rest.