The huge numbers that have gotten thrown around are an effort

[Guaranteed]

at sandbagging by the Bush administration, IMO.

40,000 dead? I doubt it. But if that number gets used in public a lot and it turns out there are "only" 2,000 dead, it makes the actual number seem much smaller.

The number could be well into the thousands, but just be careful. Don't put any belief into any of the numbers for a good while, and don't be afraid to dismiss really high ones. We don't want to play up expectations on any "death count."

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Good point...kinda like 9/11

First 20,000 dead...then Rudy orders 6000 body bags then 3K

[applegrove]

2. Yes - and remember how stupid they made the President before

the debates. Let's stick close to things we know to be true. This time we are not traumatized & in shock. People of LA, MS are. We are not. Let's be discerning.

[oasis]

3. I wouldn't put anything past Rove, but 10,000 seems to be what officials

on the ground are expecting.

[NYC]

4. I think Nagin predicted 10,000.

As for body bags, they use them for body parts, as well. Sometimes parts are found separately. They get their own bags.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

5. Well, FEMA ordered 25,000 body bags. Nagins said 10,000

but was that NOLA only? Oprah interviewed a woman today that went into a K-Mart and there were bodies there. I think it was Waveland Miss. (Not sure about either town/state).

[Guaranteed]

6. People are awfully adaptable in these kinds of situations.

When I saw those planes hit those buildings and then the collapse, I figured a lot more than 3,000 people died. I figured 10-20,000.

Anyway, people want to live, and can be pretty ingenious in getting themselves out of tight spots.

We just need to be careful.

[NYC]

7. Initial estimates re WTC were based on the number of people who

worked in the buildings. I think 50,000 worked in one or both of the buildings.

Initial assumption was that most people would die.

[bobbieinok]

8. still don't understand why apparently so few died

[NYC]

10. It was approx. 8:45 a.m. Not everyone had arrived at work yet.

9:00 a.m. would be normal reporting time for most. Also, while the buildings were burning, but before they collapsed, people evacuated the buildings.

[KitchenWitch]

9. True enough

I remember right after 9/11, folks were throwing 50,000 dead around as an estimate.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. There's a lot of hysterical crap bandied about. Not much careful thought.

So many people who go off here on a foul-mouthed rant that would make a sailor blush and then they fancy themselves as some kind of pundit or expert. So many people who grab at the slightest rumor and blow it out of proportion. So many people who champion the flimsiest conspiracy theory without really thinking things through.

There are a number of thoughtful writers here, such as William Pitt and others. They are one of the biggest reasons I read here.

There are also many level-headed people who contribute a fact here, a thought there, and so on until it adds up to something quite worthy and substantial.