Draining New Orleans Could Take a Month

[sabra]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5251248,00.html

Draining New Orleans Could Take a Month

WASHINGTON (AP) - It's too early to predict how long it will take to remove the floodwater from New Orleans because the Army Corps of Engineers is still planning how to accomplish the feat, its commander said Friday.

``We're certainly talking weeks,'' Lt. Gen. Carl Strock told reporters at the Pentagon.

He said the engineers are developing a plan to make new breaches in the levees in New Orleans - from hundreds of feet wide to 3,000 feet - so that a combination of pumping and the effects of gravity will move the water out of the city.

``The real focus now is saving lives and sustaining lives,'' he said.

[bluestateguy]

1. And then where does all that water go?

It's filthy, you can't just dump it back into the Gulf without destroying the fishing industry too.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. It's got to go somewhere

but destroying the fishing industry will be one of those nasty little side effects that we are about to face. In the meantime, I staying of the crawfish.

[slackmaster]

11. I think there's a hazardous waste dump in New Jersey that has room for it

:hide:

[mcscajun]

15. No thanks.

Keep hiding.

[davepc]

2. Prepare for the 2nd wave refugees hit the streets

When the middle class credit cards run out, and all thoes ppl who loaded up the car to drive north and ride the storm out in a hotel find themselves with no place to go back too, and no money, and no job, and no home.

[Bridget Burke]

4. Quite a few of the second wave has already moved to shelters....

Those who could afford it drove to Houston & checked into hotels or motels. But their stays are longer than they expected.

[catmandu57]

5. I've been thinking about those people also

I think the majority of them have somewhat good credit and they'll be able to live on that for a while, but, it's not going to last forever.
I also would bet that they almost overwhelmingly voted for idiotboy*, not those from New Orleans necessartily, but, those from Mi. and Al. where the idiot* put in an appearance today.
Now, ordinarily I'd say fuck them they'll get theirs it's just a matter of time, but one day they're going to wake up and realize just what in the fuck they did last November.
I just wish I could see their faces when reality hits.

[Psephos]

6. That's the spirit!

I love it...har har har...these utterly fucked people whose lives are destroyed in the present and for a long time in the future still have one more great moment of misery ahead, when they wake up and realize what they did last November. Yep, that's the most important part of all: for us to see their sad faces even sadder, cuz there's no better way to judge people or apportion our sympathy than by the all-important standard of which political party they favor. Hopefully there will be lots of photos so we can all share in the glee as they gnash their teeth and wail some more. I think I'll throw a big beer bust to celebrate.

Not.

[KamaAina]

7. N.O. voted 78% Kerry

when they wake up and realize what they did last November.

admitteldy most of the surrounding areas are Red, but the colossal clusterfsck has mostly come down on N.O. proper.

[nolabels]

9. and then people wonder why Karl and the gang are doing like they do

The bush out right orwellian claim that no could have imagined this sounds just like 9/11 claims, there is pattern there.

[melody]

8. BBC says 3-6 months for draining alone n/t

[mom cat]

14. I heard a prediction of six months for the draining. I heard that before

the storm hit. And that will be After they get the pumps running again or new pumps in there. It's not like they can flick a switch and have it happen.:cry:

[smitty]

10. Draining NO will be a long-term project

I'm cautiously pessimistic, remember that September is the height of the hurricane season. Another storm, even a minor one, could wreck any hope of saving the city.

[rob10000]

12. How long to clear 9/11 debris vs estimates?

I seem to recall it didn't take nearly as long to clean up NYC after 9/11 as had been predicted. I bet it happens alot faster here, as well. There will be alot of pressure to get the water out, and once the watertight integrity is assured, I think many ways will be found to accelerate the process

[mcscajun]

16. Depends on what you call the clean-up.

Some of it was still ongoing as of this past January.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6876370/site/newsweek/

In any case, hauling the steel and other debris away took a couple of months. Steel and debris can be carted away and piled up somewhere; water really can't, because it will always seek its own level.

[daleo]

13. With luck, that long. Probably much longer.

But it is still storm season, and who knows about the other levees. Unfortunately, when things start to fail, things like them often fail at about the same time. I would be worried about just what kind of shape some of the other levees are in.