Media Blackout as Ike Death Toll Rises

The official death toll for Hurricane Ike creeps upward, while photos reveal the catastrophic damage inflicted by the storm. So far 51 people are known to have died in the storm. Authorities have banned the press from many of the hardest hit areas, but they can’t stop the steady stream of images appearing online showing the true extent of the damage.

Citizens are using Google Earth, screen captures from online video, and other images to gauge the extent of the damage by superimposing the latest images onto pictures of the same area before the hurricane. See this site for many examples of collaborative research.

The authorities confirmed that approximately 250 people remained on the Bolivar Peninsula during the the storm. The peninsula suffered extensive damage.