FEMA releases the official death toll for New Orleans as of Tuesday, bringing the reality home that the job of recovering bodies has just begun.

The count climbed to over 423, up drastically in 24-hours.

Rescue operations have primarily ceased and turned into recovery missions for many of the teams on the ground handling the grim task. Many locations within the city limits and surrounding parishes have yet to be checked and could take as long as two-weeks to complete the process.

The death toll for the state of Mississippi appears to be nearing 300, but those estimates remain low by many predictions.