Katrina update; more disaster declarations

More Presidential disaster declarations in announcements dated yesterday. On the FEMA map, the dark yellow shading that means "active disaster or emergency" covers almost the entire contiguous U.S. -- all but Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Delaware. Not everything is Katrina-related -- Maine, for example, is recovering from heavy late-spring floods of its own -- but that map looks pretty darned dire at present.

Meanwhile, more Katrina bits and pieces: AP on the disaster and the "return of big government"... Toxics in NOLA floodwaters... From Time magazine, the refugee scene in Houston as of Tuesday... The political weblogs are noting this article on possible compassionate delays to the Oct. 17 effective date of the new bankruptcy laws... also this in the Washington Post on FEMA and large private contractors... and you'll be getting coverage of President Bush's speech in your own hometown papers, hence no need for extensive discussion in this space, but here's an early New York Times take on his remarks.

[LATER: Here's the Washington Post on the D.C. housing authority's local accommodations for Katrina evacuees... and the News 2/Advocate site in Baton Rouge quotes views of the federal aid picture from officials in Louisiana.]