In non-hurricane news, Iraq has declared a 3-day period of mourning after the massive stampede in Baghdad yesterday that killed some 1,000 Iraqis. Grieving relatives combed hospitals and morgues on Thursday for missing loved ones, as funeral tents were erected in the impoverished Baghdad Shi’ite suburb of Sadr City as relatives prepared to mourn their dead. At least 965 people are confirmed to have died during Wednesday’s stampede as thousands of Shi’ite pilgrims took part in a religious festival. It remains unclear what exactly caused the stampede but there was a barrage of mortar and rocket attacks on the crowd earlier in the day. Those attacks killed seven people. There are reports that a warning from within the crowd of a suicide bomber among them sparked the panic. According to police officials, most of the victims were women and children who died from drowning or being trampled. Hundreds of people reportedly jumped or were thrown into the Tigris River. It is being described as the biggest loss of life in such a crowd since more than 1,400 pilgrims died at Mecca during the hajj in 1990.