As the floodwaters recede and the search for the dead begins, there are grim signs that authorities expect a staggering death toll from Katrina

Facing what could be an overwhelming number of corpses, the federal government is turning to outside help in unprecedented ways. FEMA hired Kenyon International Emergency Services, a Houston company that specializes in identifying and returning the remains of people killed in epic disasters. (full story)

While the focus remains on body recovery, later it will will shift to identifying the remains, most likely through DNA matches since many of the bodies will be decomposed from exposure to heat and water.