The latest disaster commands a high profile, and thus is likely to command the full attention of the Bush administration, some disaster experts say.
The official government figures said 500, but one disaster expert said more than 1,000 in Mississippi alone.
But some disaster experts are ambivalent about them, as is the Haitian president, according to a senior government official.
And, disaster experts say, it's essential to know what and where those things are.
But disaster experts say that, at best, only about half of the damage will be picked up by the Government.
But disaster experts say the same cannot be said for the rest of the nation.
Aid workers and disaster experts say that instead of considering the drought an isolated emergency, officials must begin looking at long-term rural development needs.
You and me, we're disaster experts with an endless supply of disaster!
"It's as if they imagined themselves to be in a brick and mortar world of real liability," the disaster expert said.
Federal officials said California's disaster experts had expressed concern over several dams in the area.