Just prior to Betsy making landfall in 1965 the Army Corps of Engineers blew the levee that protected the Eastern part of New Orleans and Chalmette from the waters of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. They were trying to protect the city proper from major flooding. It worked. Yes, there was flooding within the city but not nearly as bad as it would have been.
Large areas of the Eastern part of New Orleans and Chalmette were flooded, especially those homes close to the Gulf Outlet but "downtown" was spared, for the most part. The levee actually would have acted like a funnel to direct the waters to the city. Blowing the levee alleviated more flooding and spread the water out over a greater area.
The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet is NOT the Mississippi River. It is a channel that was dug from New Orleans straight to the Gulf.....not like the snake that is the river. The river is a 112 mile snaking nightmare for navigators. The Gulf Outlet is only 76 miles and a straight shot. Good for shipping but also disastrous when dealing with a hurricane.
( I put "downtown" in quotes because in New Orleans "downtown" is called "uptown." If you say "downtown" in New Orleans then they'll look at you like you are insane. "Downtown" is the "shabby" part of town. ) :-)
Downtown is also known as the CBD, the Central Business District.
I sure hope my fishing friends from Venice are long gone.
Very interesting, thanks for the info.