" Side note: identifying bodies will be difficult or impossible. I"
If no id is found on a corpse, I would assume dental records are the only way.
DNA matching with family members too.
Hearing conflicting reports on time of presidential speech... can anyone say with certainty 5 pm EDT?
Assuming that there is a dentist office intact.
Assuming dental records are available (probably not) and assuming they have the means to rapidly match hundreds of teeth against thousands of dental records.
Then how in the hell do they do it in England?
Can't they use DNA if there are relatives available for comparison? I would imagine a lot of dental records in the affected areas might be gone.
There's not going to be time for any of that in this one, I fear. If reports are true and we're talking "thousands" in MS and Louisiana -- while rescuers have trouble even getting through for days -- we are looking at mass burials.
Those recovering bodies from attics could put an address on a toe tag.
If dental offices are inundated, there won't BE any dental records.
Those found floating free likely won't be identified.
The military has morticians who specialize in mass casualties under adverse conditions. They will be needed in this situation, as your garden-variety mortician would be overwhelmed with the logistics.