'The whole damn city is under water' (water flowing the wrong way)

[rodeodance]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1558868,00.html

'The whole damn city is under water'

Thousands of New Orleans families ordered to flee devastating storm struggle back to find 10ft deep deluge

Jamie Wilson in New Orleans
Tuesday August 30, 2005
The Guardian

Families driven from New Orleans by the impending storm struggled to get back to their houses yesterday, only to find their way blocked by floodwaters covering much of the city's surrounding suburbs.

"It looks to me like the whole damn city is under water," one rescue worker told the Guardian, standing by a flooded freeway close to the city limits.

"That should be flowing the other way," said another, pointing to the 17th Street canal. New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin said there had been reports of more than 20 buildings collapsing in the city, while offshore at least two oil rigs were adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. The weather knocked out power to about 1.3 million people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, and analysts estimated the damage could top $26bn (£14.4bn)........

[rodeodance]

1. seems everyone is waiting for 'first light' to make any assessments.

[KeepItReal]

2. Yeah, almost no helicopters flying yesterday

Although I saw the Coast Guard (1 Dolphin and 1 HH-60) had 2 birds flying and one private copter did video footage.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Where are you?

I hope you're safe?

I just woke up and read that the 17th Street levee has been breached. It sounds really bad. They are evacuating Tulane Hospital?

[KeepItReal]

6. I'm fine. In Cali.

I've been watching video from WWL and WDSU in New Orleans on the 'net.

Here's a pic of where the levee broke:

[blackcatpgh]

7. that is *horrible*

thanks for posting the photo; where did you find it?

[KeepItReal]

9. WWL tv's website as a couple of pictures blogged

They are really sad.

My favorite spot in New Orleans is sunk. It is near where the Yacht club burned on the lakefront. It had an amazing view of the lake.

My alma mater is probably under also, but I haven't seen any clear pics of the Univ. of New Orleans.

[blackcatpgh]

10. thanks

indeed, those photos are really sad. hopefully with daybreak, they are able to get those people out of there.

[rugger]

4. No worries, insurance will let them rebuild...

Only to be washed away by the next one in about 10 years, 8 if global warming continues.

[Bridget Burke]

5. If they have flood insurance.

It's not part of most policies & must be purchased separately.

But the insurance companies will lose a lot of money. So they will raise rates across the board.

[jody]

11. Lose money? Yes but insurance companies are supposed to factor in

such risks. The only money they will lose is when their models were not completely accurate.

In spite of that, insurance companies will use the damage as an excuse to increase rates, perhaps an excessive amount.

[mccoyn]

12. Don't mortgage companies require flood insurance?

I thought if you were in a flood zone that mortgage companies require you to get flood insurance. I would think most of New Orleans is considered a flood zone.

[HuckleB]

14. That's my understanding.

Heck, we had to pay a fee for someone to assess whether or not we lived in a flood zone when we refinanced, even though that had already been done when we bought the house six years earlier.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

8. That only applies to the very wealthy with homes on the beach...

...because nobody else can afford to pay for that kind of insurance.

[fasttense]

13. When I bought a house on the lake in Illinois, back in 1982

it cost me $3/month for flood insurance. Now I understand it runs more like $300/month. Why the huge increase??