The recession has hit people’s way of living in many ways. And yes, apparently, it also affect people’s ways of dying too.
In Detroit, bodies in the county morgues are piling up not necessarily because of changes in crime rates and health concerns, it’s just that people don’t have enough money to bury their dead. Pretty haunting given that
In Wayne County, 67 bodies remain unclaimed in the morge and officials have no choice but to stack them in its freezer. The smallest cost to deal with the body is $695 for a cremation and it’s basically a luxury given the economy.
The reason for the pile-up is twofold: One, unemployment in the area is approaching 28%, and many people, like the Vickers, can’t afford last rites; two, the county’s $21,000 annual budget to bury unclaimed bodies ran out in June.
And this trend isn’t a Detroit thing as well (though Detroit has been one of the hardest hit due to the auto industry crash), the same trend can also be seen in other locales such as Los Angeles.
Source: CNN Money Detroit
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Tags: Dead, Government