With New Orleans rapidly turning into a toxic wasteland, authorities have toughened their stance on residents who refuse to leave their homes. Police are now forcing people to leave, whereas before they had been urging them to. The floodwater that destroyed the city is becoming increasingly poisoned by rubbish, oil, chemicals and decomposing bodies. The operation to pump the water out of the city is well underway and the level has dropped significantly – but there is still a long way to go. Also gathering pace is the grim task of collecting the dead. Convoys of trucks have been ferrying corpses to morgues. But despite the inescapable horror some residents are still resisting rescue.

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