THERE ARE TWO LEVEE BREACHES, omg

[steve2470]

http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3781659&nav=EyAzdu14

Levees breached in New Orleans

Aug 30, 2005, 06:09 AM

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Two levee breaches are sending floodwaters pouring into low-lying New Orleans.

A colonel with the Army Corps of Engineers says one in the eastern part of the city has forced "significant evacuations" in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. The Corps says another breach in western New Orleans that began yesterday afternoon may have grown overnight.

Hundreds of people have been rescued from rooftops. In some cases, rescuers sawed through roofs to free people who fled to their attics as the waters rose.

One man says he and his fiancee sat on their roof for three hours before being taken to safety. Bryan Vernon says the water "kept rising and rising and rising."

Mayor Ray Nagin has told WWL TV that "80 percent" of the city is under water. He says it's 20 feet deep in some places.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. This was the big fear....everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

And now they're going to inhale water. :( Very scary indeed since it seems like they were already having quite a bit of trouble with rescue operations.

[Jacobin]

2. This catastrophe only didn't affect the CBD and Quarter

and parts of Metairie.

Everything else ....

[expatriate]

7. Those areas haven't been affected just yet

but they could very well be. Lake Ponchartrain is enormous, and is connected to Lake Maurepas. You cannot see the opposite shore of Lake Ponchartrain when you stand on the New Orleans side. It's that big. It isn't particularly deep, but it drains lots of area which is presently being flooded with torrential rains.

This is a terrible situation, and after having lived in that area a goodly part of my life, I can say that the damage is now going to be massive. I hope that the powers that be do what they can to just get everyone who is still in the city out. It will not be a place fit for human occupation for quite some time.

[expatriate]

3. Sadly, I'm not surprised.

The Lake Ponchartrain levees are not particularly high, and they have breached before after severe cold fronts which caused sustained high winds from the north. Katrina caused incredibly high winds from the north, sending the lake waters against the levees with great force for a prolonged period of time.

Since the pumps move most of the water standing in the streets of New Orleans into Lake Ponchartrain, pumping will be useless until the levees can be repaired. There have been problems in moving the heavy equipment needed.

This is the thing that I just hoped would not happen - it has made all the difference between a disaster that was really bad and a disaster that might be irreversible.

[Nikki Stone 1]

5. Such a delicate security

It is amazing that the city has survived as long as it has.

[Hokie]

4. Does anyone know if they lost the pumps?

I haven't heard a thing about this.

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. I only heard about the three that were not working yesterday.

I don't know about today.

[blackcatpgh]

8. what i heard about those pumps

on a TV report last night, there was a reporter live on bourbon street. he said that the pumps in that area were automated, but the ones that failed were diesel powered and manually activated (i.e. not manned during the hurricane), and housed in some sort of buildings which had their roofs destroyed.

[wli]

9. 80%, 20 ft. of water, but water rising 1 ft/hr...

The numbers aren't adding up.

[Tin Man]

10. photo of breach in 17th St. Canal near Lakeshore Park in Metarie

[Nikki Stone 1]

11. Thanks

That makes it easier to visualize

[SpiralHawk]

18. George Bush is going to send some kids to stick their thumbs

in the dike, while he continues his vacation.

So just "hang loose" like the pResident, everyone.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

23. Don't you know that it's "hard work" to "hang loose"?? Yikes.

[Sgent]

24. THANK YOU

I have 3 family members houses within 3 blocks of this area (they are all ok).

Do you have the original link?

Thanks again

[Tin Man]

26. I found the photo buried in a thread here on DU

original photo was in this thread http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4505376

I resized & highlighted the pic, and ID'd the location.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. This is why we needed a President

to order this evacuation before the storm, not after. There are some of us who have been screaming since they announced that they were using the Superdome for a shelter and we could see they were doing NOTHING to help the people get out of the city. Sunday afternoon, people were lined up outside of the Superdome. The streets around it were empty of traffic. They could have sent all the city buses there and driven the people out of the city. If I were President, that's what I would have done. Get on the phone with the mayor and the governor. Tell them this is what we need to do and then give them everything they need to make it happen. That's what we need a President for.

[madokie]

13. Yes, another reason we need a President.

Americans voted for a President and all we got was a self righteous moron.

[crispini]

14. Hey steve2470.

Were you up all night?

[steve2470]

15. yes I'm trying to help in my little way

soon I'm going to fall on my keyboard lol

[crispini]

16. I got some sleep.

You know, I suspected there were two. I heard about one earlier that people were just kind of blowing off -- "that one always breaks" I read somewhere -- but I think the one by the CBD is much more significant and I think that's the later one.

Have you been here? http://www.wwltv.com/forums/viewforum.php? Lotsa people hanging out there -- if you run across any specific tidbits you might want to post there.

Thanks for all your help. do you have people there?

[steve2470]

17. no. I guess it's last year we in fla. got hammered, so I know the pain

they are going through hell on earth right now, and worse. I actually thought of going out there.
first comes sleep lol

[Media_Lies_Daily]

19. Hey, Steve....thanks for all of your commentary and research efforts!

[steve2470]

20. you are very welcome nt

[Media_Lies_Daily]

21. Just heard on the Weather Channel that there is only one way out....

...of New Orleans...and that's 10 West. They believe 10 East is either underwater or washed out. I don't think any other routes out of the city are functioning either.

They also said the water is still rising in New Orleans and that anybody who can get out should leave now.

What a nightmare.

[steve2470]

22. unless they can fix those levee breaches quickly.......

new orleans will be practically underwater...so, yes, everyone that can, should haul ass

[crispini]

25. They think the Causeway is out of commission?

:scared: I hadn't heard that. Yes, everyone there should get out fast. All of those people in the Superdome! :scared:

[Theres-a]

27. I just woke up

How come the water's rising?From the second breach?

[markus]

28. Can anyway tell us what the lake level is now?

If they don't get this blocked, or Pontchartrain doens't go down, this is going to back flood the city up to the L&N embankment.

Right now, I can't visualize any place it can get past there, but there are probably areas it could go over it. I don't remember how high the elevation of that rail line is.

If the embankment doens't stop it, the water will march up until it reaches City Park Avenue, where it can bypass the Orleans Canal, and backflood the city.

Shit, shit shit.

[meganmonkey]

29. This is devastating

:cry:

[steve2470]

30. kick nt

[geomon666]

31. WDSU was reporting up to four earlier. n/t