AP With thousands feared drowned in what could be America’s deadliest natural disaster in a century, New Orleans’ leaders all but surrendered the streets to floodwaters Wednesday and began turning out the lights on the ruined city – perhaps for …

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Here The American Red Cross is taking donations to help the thousands of victims at http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html. Federal Emergency Management Agency Phone: 1-800-621-FEMA http://www.fema.gov/ Louisiana Homeland Security http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/ City of New Orleans http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx Louisiana Governor’s Office http://www.gov.state.la.us/ Catholic Charities Phone: 1-800-919-9338 …

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NYT Because hurricanes form over warm ocean water, it is easy to assume that the recent rise in their number and ferocity is because of global warming. But that is not the case, scientists say. Instead, the severity of hurricane …

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AP As oil prices flirted with the $70 per barrel mark, more than 95 percent of the Gulf of Mexico’s normal daily oil production was shut in Tuesday because of Hurricane Katrina, a federal agency said. The U.S. Minerals Management …

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Reuters Floodwaters engulfed much of New Orleans on Tuesday as officials feared a steep death toll and planned to evacuate thousands remaining in shelters after the historic city’s defenses were breached by Hurricane Katrina. With water from nearby Lake Pontchartrain …

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CNN They’re called “helicopter parents,” for their habit of hovering — hyper-involved — over their children’s lives. Here at Colgate University, as elsewhere, they have become increasingly bold in recent years, telephoning administrators to complain about their children’s housing assignments, …

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AP When Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans on Monday, it could turn one of America’s most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released by floodwaters from the city’s legendary cemeteries. Experts …

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