Are they equal?

Not to diminish the suffering of the Gulf Coast centered around Biloxi, having been through major flooding and appreciating the utter helplessness of it, but these two headlines, listed side by side on the AP wire this morning, really give some sense of perspective to what's going on in Iraq.

(and I'm using CNN versions for this post because they are more current. )

Officials blamed Katrina for at least 68 deaths, a toll that is certain to rise. Officials estimated at least 55 people were killed in Mississippi, including 30 in an apartment complex near the beach in Biloxi. Alabama reported two deaths.

U.S.: Air Strikes Kill Seven Insurgents

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Air strikes have flattened insurgent safe houses used by militants linked to al Qaeda in western Iraq, the U.S. Marines told CNN Tuesday.

The air attacks near the Syrian border killed at least seven militants, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force said.

A top operative called Abu Islam was among the dead, the force said.

Police in Baghdad reported that 56 civilians were killed in the strikes.

They said police contacts in the region told them 40 civilians died in one house and 16 in another. Two children survived, they added.

Again, not to diminish what's going down in relation to Katrina, but just to add a little perspective on Iraq. That country has been going through a hurricane for two and a half years, and it just won't blow over.