um is there water coming into downtown New Orleans?

[ncbird]

I must say some comments in the topic sadden me. Almost every place in the US has the possibility of having some kind of disaster. I had the privilage to visit the beautiful city of NO and it breaks my heart to see the destruction that has happened to it. I am thankful that I had a chance to go there when I did because it will never be the same. I also hope one day perhaps I will have the chance to go back and visit the rebuilt NO and experience the culture of the area. I for one will happily pay a few dollars extra out of my taxes to help rebuild, so when I want to take a vacation there is somewhere as nice as NO to go to.

[BReb]

I certainly wasn't trying to be callous, and the tragedy in NO is heartbreaking.

But the decision of to what extent to rebuild the city has to be a logical one. And to reiterate, the winds in New Orleans barely hit 100 mph AFAIK yet the levees failed. And now, unlike anywhere else in the United States, the water is just going to sit there and the city is going to be uninhabitable for the near future. That wouldn't happen in Miami, Houston, or anywhere else.

Why not pick a location ABOVE sea level somewhere near the current city's location? Re-build the French Quarter, etc right there. Bring the original residents back and still call it New Orleans. What is so sacred about the dirt in that exact location?

This obviously does not apply to the ports, refineries and other businesses that are located there at the mouth of the Mississippi for strategic purposes. Those clearly need to be where they are.

[Recurve]

The city was originally sited there because it is above sea level. You think the only places that flood are below sea level? The Mississippi River channel is a snaking natural levee, it's the high ground.

As the city expanded, it spread into lower areas. The shore of the lake is much like Lake Okeechobee in Florida -- a huge body of water with no natural rise along the shore. Winds drive the lake into the lakefront neighborhoods.

[blueeyes_austin]

WWL has a couple of researchers on right now. Apparently the Super Dome is situated in low gfround, so as the area begins to drain, it drains towards the Super Bowl area.

They also think the 17th Street Canal breech can be plugged.

[gtalum]

Remember, the field level of the Super Dome is ~18 feet above street level. The upper decks are even higher. Th epeople there will be physically safe. The question is, will they fare well mentally?

[creisored]

The fact that one person just committed suicide by jumping off a balcony probably answers that question

[gtalum]

The fact that one person just committed suicide by jumping off a balcony probably answers that question

Well, there are bound to be unstable poeple in any group of 10,000+. Let's hope that the rest of them hold up better.

[Angferba]

Disaster can strike anywhere but it becomes an even worse disaster if the problem can not be mitigated quickly. This applies to NO particularly as floodwater can not drain naturally.

Given the funding and the opportunity to rebuild it would be unwise to repeat the mistakes of the past in having a major conurbation below sealevel. This is the first really 'Big One'....36 years since the last major strike I believe. There is no guarantee that the present situation could not be repeated again this year or next year for that matter.

Think of the fact that Florida has had 6 landfalling hurricanes in the last 14 months.

[RevDodd]

using this line of logic, I reckon it's a shame we went ahead and rebuilt Charleston after Hugo...

...after all, nothing there but a bunch of old buildings. Dang those settlers, putting atown smack between two rivers! They should have built it someplace else.

[Recurve]

Most recent live shot shows water only ankle deep around Canal and Rampart, which is close to the dome. Governor mentioned knee deep by the dome in an earlier tour.
This was on CNN at about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday.

[NorthGaWeather]

The governor was saying she is getting a plan up to evac the entire city. The core also says the breach is 300ft.

[robjay]

I know - New Venice. It will keep all its tourist attraction luster.

[Canelaw99]

Out of the news conference currently on CNN, they say the French Quarter is dry, water is knee deep around the Dome (it's the low point). Water is still slowly rising in the city. The governor is concerned about the people in the Dome because the generators are being compromised due to the water coming in. Tulane hospital is having to evacuate patients because their generators are being compromised as well.

[shaggy]

is there a site that has official storm data such as peak winds or surge heights?Really looking for any hydro products to see how high the surrounding waterways will be getting over the next few days?

[MomH]

there are reports 2 levees we're breached this morning...including downtown..

These breeches occured before midnight last night. However, one seems to have grown by about 100 feet since then. One is actually a levee breeched in two places. The second is in St. Bernard Par. and at the moment seems to be draining the water out of NO for the moment. They don't know how long that will last.