NY Times today has a substantial story, reporting on its investigations into the rumors of violence (rape, shooting at helicopters, murderous hordes) in the days after Katrina, rumors which, as you well remember, caused rescue operations to be halted, in some instances. Guess what they found? Yep, you got it. Most of those stories were wildly exaggerated, or simply untrue.
This information needs to be disseminated; as far as I can tell, this story is being lost in the whirlwind of Roberts's confirmation, Delay's indictment, and the continuing devastating quagmire in Iraq.
story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/national/nationalspecial/29crime.html
or, here's a quickie summary:
"The mass misery in the city's two unlit and uncooled primary shelters, the convention center and the Superdome, was compounded, officials said, by gangs that were raping women and children.
A month later, a review of the available evidence now shows that some, though not all, of the most alarming stories that coursed through the city appear to be little more than figments of frightened imaginations, the product of chaotic circumstances that included no reliable communications, and perhaps the residue of the longstanding raw relations between some police officers and members of the public."