Katrina Death Toll Climbs

While we held out some hope yesterday that damage and fatalities weren't as bad as feared, news sources compiled all of their information overnight, and the results aren't good.

Official numbers put the death count at 57; unofficially, 80 people may have perished in one county. I can tell you from covering natural disaster news in the past, those numbers will rise for several days. The mayor of New Orleans was quoted as saying "The city of New Orleans is in a state of devastation." and that electricity may not be restored for 3-4 weeks (Fox News on-air).

To make matters worse, tornados hit inland in Georgia last night -- seven were reported to the government and there are several news stories out this morning but I've only seen photos on-air.