Katrina, one of the most powerful hurricanes in history, slammed into the coast of the South Eastern United States, washing away entire towns in Mississippi and destroying much of New Orleans.

No one knows how many people have died in this disaster, but estimates range from hundreds to even thousands, and up to one million have been left homeless.

The toxic water, which is flooding the streets of New Orleans, is a mixture of garbage, raw sewage, gasoline and other petroleum products from nearby oil refineries, thousands of corpses–of those who died in the hurricane as well as those washed out of the cemeteries, and poisonous chemicals from the many chemical plants in the region (more per square mile than in any other region in the U.S.). The effects of this will likely be felt by the people and environment of the area for years to come.