US braces for the final horror | Top stories

US braces for the final horror: "US troops have begun the final search for hurricane survivors in New Orleans, steeling themselves for the task of harvesting the dead from the city's streets.

Days after Hurricane Katrina triggered the worst natural calamity in US history, officials prepared the country for a heavy death toll that is expected to number in the thousands across the devastated US Gulf coast.

'It is going to be about as ugly a scene as we've witnessed in this country, with the possible exception of 9/11,' said Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertof, referring to the 2001 terror attacks that killed nearly 3000.
'I think we need to prepare the country for what's coming.'

He spoke on Fox News Sunday from a suburb of flooded New Orleans.
'I really want to tell people that we have got some tough days ahead of us.'

Senior medical officials said 59 bodies had been collected in New Orleans so far, but cautioned that was just a fraction of those killed.

In a freak event overnight, it has been reported that up to six contractors were shot dead by troops in New Orleans after they were mistaken for an armed gang."