Hurricane Katrina Index

The respected Harper's Index, which runs monthly in Harper's Magazine (complete with hyperlinks and footnotes to factual sources) reports in the latest issue some striking facts about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Here are some of them:

• Average number of New Orleanians killed by gunfire each month since 2000: 16
• Number of the 1,035 confirmed Hurricane Katrina‒related deaths that were caused by gunfire: 8
• Chances that one of the 126 Wal-Marts shut down by Hurricane Katrina reopened within ten days: 9 in 10
• Days after Katrina hit that the first strip club was reopened in New Orleans: 20
• Percentage of their income from “dollar dances” that its strippers are donating to relief efforts: 100
• Portion of British food aid for Katrina evacuees that still sits unused in an Arkansas warehouse: 7/10