Katrina Turns the Poor Into the Destitute

it's easy to recover if you're poor because you don't have to recover much

you can recover your life savings in a single day

WASHINGTON -- Before Hurricane Katrina, they were among the poorest of America's poor. In the hardest hit counties, some 305,000 people not only lived in poverty, their families' income fell below 50 percent of the poverty line _ about $7,500 for a family of three. Now, many live in strange towns with only a few dollars in their pockets.