U.S. officials ready 25,000 body bags for Katrina victims; government warns of toxic floodwaters NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Soldiers toting M-16s strengthened their grip on this swamped city as concerns grew about the risks posed by the rank floodwaters. Officials braced for what could be a staggering death toll by readying 25,000 body bags. Across miles of ravaged neighborhoods of clapboard houses, grand estates and housing projects, workers struggled to find corpses and persuade the city's last stubborn residents to leave. "Right now, human life is paramount so I'm concentrating all my power on getting out people who want to leave," Police Chief Eddie Compass told NBC's "Today" show Thursday. Tropical Storm Ophelia Meanders off Florida MIAMI - Tropical Storm Ophelia sat off Florida's Atlantic Coast on Wednesday, barely budging and defying forecasters' attempts to predict where or if it might hit land. Ophelia coalesced overnight from a loose and swirling mass of thunderstorms and had top winds of 50 mph (80 kph). At 5 p.m. (2100 GMT), Ophelia's center was about 80 miles (128 km) east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. The storm was nearly stationary all day long and was expected to meander around the same spot for the next few days, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said. States Sue US over Energy Efficiency of Appliances NEW YORK - Fifteen states led by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued the US Energy Department on Wednesday for dragging its feet on setting efficiency standards for household appliances that would save enormous amounts of energy. The states and the city of New York said the DOE violated Congressional mandates to adopt stronger energy-saving standards within deadlines stated by law for 22 appliances. The suit was filed in Manhattan Federal Court after the DOE declined to respond to a July 1 notice letter asking it to take action, Spitzer said at a press conference. Typhoon Fades but Leaves at Least 17 Dead in Japan TOKYO - Typhoon Nabi faded into a tropical storm and headed out to sea on Wednesday after killing at least 17 people in southwestern Japan. Nine people were missing and 126 were injured after Nabi drenched parts of Japan's third-biggest island with more than 1,000 mm (40 inches) of rain, triggering floods and landslides, NHK television said. Four people were also missing in South Korea. Global Warming Causes Soil to Release Carbon - Study LONDON - Global warming is causing soil to release huge amounts of carbon, making efforts to fight global warming tougher than previously thought, scientists said on Wednesday. A study in the journal Nature looked at the carbon content of soil in England and Wales from 1978-2003 and found that it fell steadily, with some 13 million tonnes of carbon released from British soil each year. The team from Britain's National Soil Resources Institute at Cranfield University said its results implied a similar process would be under way in other temperate areas across the globe. Emergency Campaign on Global Warming One Million Citizens, One Goal: Stop Global Warming! Sign Environmental Defense's Petition supporting the Climate Stewardship Act in Congress. Help stop global warming and take a stand for a healthier planet. Click here to have your voice heard!

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