More MSNBC excerpts:

Aerial footage showed most of New Orleans under water and mile after mile of coastline in Mississippi and Alabama wiped out. Debris from flattened buildings littered streets, and the smell of natural gas from broken lines wafted through the air. In Gulfport, Miss., a casino was lifted out of the water and onto a hotel.

“At first light, the devastation is greater than our worst fears. It’s just totally overwhelming,” Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said

Little islands of red ants floated in the gasoline-fouled waters through downtown.

Teresa Kavanagh, of Biloxi, shook her head is disbelief as she took photographs of the damage in her hometown. “Total devastation. Apartment complexes are wiped clean. We’re going to rebuild, but it’s going to take a long time. Houses that withstood Camille are nothing but slab now,”

All that remained of one hotel was the toilets.