Mayor Nagin: 80% of NO Underwater

[oneness]

People never learn that you don't count your chickens until they hatch. Now the media has gone off half-cocked as a result, and is delivering a false illusion of situation under control. Hopefully the Mayor's interview will be picked up and replayed nationally and internationally.

[MKT2005]

With a 2 block long break in the levee two blocks from the hospital this is unfortunately not surprising. The woman at TU hospital says the breach is at 17th and Canal from Lake Ponchatrain and has been confirmed to her by state police. It is incredibly unfortunate that there is no way to control that much water. Massive aid and Massive prayers are needed for everyone in NO and along the MS Gulf coast.

There is no 17th street in New Orleans. The WATERWAY is CALLED the 17th street canal. It is no street intersection. The 17th street canal is also not by downtown. It is the border between Orleans and Jefferson Parish in the northwestern portion of Orleans Parish. It is rather surprising that the water is flooding into downtown because it is pretty far away.

Downtown is flooding, Tulane University Hospital is in Downtown.

[TSmith274]

I'm guessing that the pumps that they had runnning full blast to keep up with the 17th st. canal breach either failed, or the breach widened.

[vbhoutex]

I'm guessing that the pumps that they had runnning full blast to keep up with the 17th st. canal breach either failed, or the breach widened.

I saw one report somewhere, probably on the WWL link that the pumps burned out trying to keep up

[temujin]

People never learn that you don't count your chickens until they hatch. Now the media has gone off half-cocked as a result, and is delivering a false illusion of situation under control. Hopefully the Mayor's interview will be picked up and replayed nationally and internationally.

I was stunned this afternoon to see the rosy picture painted. A couple hours ago, I was stunned a second time to learn that the rosy picture was fake.

The media didn't see everything the authorities have seen.

[superfly]

There is no 17th street in New Orleans. The WATERWAY is CALLED the 17th street canal. It is no street intersection. The 17th street canal is also not by downtown. It is the border between Orleans and Jefferson Parish in the northwestern portion of Orleans Parish. It is rather surprising that the water is flooding into downtown because it is pretty far away.

Downtown is flooding, Tulane University Hospital is in Downtown.

I realize that, I'm simply saying I'm surprised because New Orleans is supposed to be sealed off into sections so that one levee break doesn't flood the entire city. I guess the engineers were wrong.

[Mobile Expat]

FNN is interviewing someone now explaining how NO dodged the Bullet! So much for up to date news!...Double Barrel shotgun, second shell now being fired at the Big Easy!

No kidding. You can't swing a reporter's notebook in New Orleans without hitting a flooded residential neighborhood or a blown-out superhighway. Eighty percent of the city is underwater (according to Nagin) and the NYT calls the place "lucky"?

Can the national media get its head any farther up its collective a**?

[jopatura]

I would guess, due to the amount of water already in NOLA that anything sealed off would have already been breached.

[oneness]

I'm guessing that the pumps that they had runnning full blast to keep up with the 17th st. canal breach either failed, or the breach widened.

The pumps all run on either electricity and diesel, and at least one of those is long gone and the other will run out soon enough anyway.

[oneness]

There is no 17th street in New Orleans. The WATERWAY is CALLED the 17th street canal. It is no street intersection. The 17th street canal is also not by downtown. It is the border between Orleans and Jefferson Parish in the northwestern portion of Orleans Parish. It is rather surprising that the water is flooding into downtown because it is pretty far away.

Downtown is flooding, Tulane University Hospital is in Downtown.

I realize that, I'm simply saying I'm surprised because New Orleans is supposed to be sealed off into sections so that one levee break doesn't flood the entire city. I guess the engineers were wrong.

Sewers interconnect.

[JQ Public]

Yeh i remember during hurricane fran here in raleigh. Water began backin up through the drains/sewers even though our ground had no standing water before that.

[oneness]

The media need to retract these grossly misleading 'stories' and set the record straight ASAP, for the sake of those suffering terribly and dieing tonight and for several tomorrows.

[Okibeach]

As I flipped through several news programs today, several mentioned how they had blown it with Andrew at first, before realizing the extent of damage around Homestead. It is incredible that they would make the exact same mistake again. I guess if they're dumb enough to have their reporters stand out in the middle of it all just so we can see that the weather is bad. (like we couldn't figure that out on our own) I guess we shouldn't be surprised that they would blow it again.

[temujin]

The media need to retract these grossly misleading 'stories' and set the record straight ASAP, for the sake of those suffering terribly and dieing tonight and for several tomorrows.

They are too busy competing with each other and getting something, anything on air. Accuracy takes a second seat.

Still, I'm most positively impressed with CNN. They have the highest level of professionalism and greatest commitment to accuracy.

[oneness]

Yes, quite right, I should amend that, some of the media need to retract their false stories.

[Okibeach]

sorry to disagree, but they were one of the ones guilty of what I mentioned above.

[StrongWind]

With a 2 block long break in the levee two blocks from the hospital this is unfortunately not surprising. The woman at TU hospital says the breach is at 17th and Canal from Lake Ponchatrain and has been confirmed to her by state police. It is incredibly unfortunate that there is no way to control that much water. Massive aid and Massive prayers are needed for everyone in NO and along the MS Gulf coast.

There is no 17th street in New Orleans. The WATERWAY is CALLED the 17th street canal. It is no street intersection. The 17th street canal is also not by downtown. It is the border between Orleans and Jefferson Parish in the northwestern portion of Orleans Parish. It is rather surprising that the water is flooding into downtown because it is pretty far away.

Containing a 2 block breech in a levee can be difficult but not impossible.
I don't know how things are set up in NO so forgive the questions. Isn't there any mechanism (ie flood gates) at the head of the canal that could be shut? How wide is the canal? If not that wide, would it be easier to block the mouth of the canal rather than trying to fix the breach? What purpose does the canal serve anyway as Lake P. empties directly into the gulf anyway?