Dozens of caskets are washing up on the shores of Gulfport, Miss., providing another grim reminder of a storm that may have killed thousands in the state and in neighboring Louisiana, according to a Local 6 News report.

Witnesses in some Gulf Coast communities have reported bodies floating in neighborhoods that search and rescue workers cannot reach.

Health officials are now worried about the potential for cholera, typhoid and dehydrating diseases that could come as a result of the stagnant water and flooding conditions.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said he's worried about disease from bodies in the water.

"At some point in time, the dead bodies are going to start to create a serious disease issue," Nagin told a newspaper.

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Nagin also told the Associated Press. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely."

If Nagin's recent death-toll estimate holds true, it would make Katrina the worst natural disaster in the United States since at least the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, which have blamed for anywhere from about 500 to 6,000 deaths. Katrina would also be the nation's deadliest hurricane since 1900, when a storm in Galveston, Texas, killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.