[Fishtalk]

I have seen those levees

Greetings from a dolt in Delaware.

Who has never, alas, seen a levee or even understands just what they are.

But I've got a million questions about Louisiana with all the hype. Perhaps some of you experts about the area can enlighten me.

First, why on earth would anybody build a city BELOW sea level?

I've certainly heard this factoid bandied about these past few days so hey, I must ask.

And why is New Orleans below sea level? The city is a "bowl" as I understand it.

Finally, what the hell are levees and how did they come about? I've heard the song about going down to the levees, of course. So how does one go down to a levee and what does one do when they get there? Is a levee something you can walk on?

Also, I've been doing some thinking about the future after this storm. I think there's going to be a lot of finger pointing. I dread to think that if that Superdome doesn't hold what the fallout will be. Imagine if the superdome collapses after the government directed people to it.

It also occurs to me that NO must be a city filled with homeless and the poor. At least I judge by the problems they've had with evacuations. While all cities have this sort of population, is it worth in NO?

Feedback appreciated because hey, if you don't ask you won't find out.

[eastforker]

A levee is a man made dyke to keep water levels from pouring into populated areas. Levees are all up and down the Mississippi river for hundreds of miles.

[DB]

It is really, really unlikely the Super Dome is going to fail mechanically. It may well get flooded.

[PureSolace]

Fishtalk, Thanks for writing. First, yes, New Orleans is filled with tons of homeless and poor. It's a dirty crime riddin place, but they have the best food in the world and some of the best music. (But it's too damned hot there) :)

A Levee is basically a man made structure to contain water.

The Levee along the Mississippi River is built to contain the river... cause rivers naturally change course and wind around over time. If you plan on building up a permanant port, you gotta build up alevee to contain the river.

Theres also a levee along the lake to keep the water out as well. :)

check this out...

I lived in louisiana for most of my life, and Levees are the norm down there. I love Louisiana, but I'm glad I don't live there anymore... the culture of poverty and violence at times gets out of control. too much damn crime for my tastes. But my family is down there, so it's home. :) Peace.

[rolling_stone]

http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/floodcontrol/Levees/levees.htm

I can't answer the rest of your questions but the flood control levees I have seen are earthen dams and some have asphalt or gravel on the top and can be walked on or in some cases wide enough for a car to drive on......

[sonofatpatcher2]

The levee system was started to try and control the Mighty Missip... Without the Corps of Engineers work on those levees, the Mississippi River would have cut a new channel down the Atchafalaya River and left New Orleans high & dry...

Got to http://www2.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/oldriver.htm for more info on The Old River Control Project. My late Father was the Project Manager there in the late 1950s...

[stlnative]

here is a levee with the "tan" path on top of it - yes you can drive - walk - or ride on top of it.
http://www.design.upenn.edu/landscape/student/mississippi/hydraulics/levee/images/aerial%20levee.jpg

[stlnative]

leeve profile
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/n_resource/flood/levee-3.gif

[rogue yam]

Here are a couple of answers:

First, why on earth would anybody build a city BELOW sea level?

New Orleans is located where it is because of the desire to have a port near the mouth of a very important river. All of the land in this area is very low-lying. To locate the port further up-river was impractical in the era of sailing vessels.

Finally, what the hell are levees and how did they come about?

Levees are earthen dams that separate water from dry land. They are built by human beings to control flooding. Like every other human creation, they have a capacity. When that capacity is exceeded, they fail. Yes, you can walk on them.

It also occurs to me that NO must be a city filled with homeless and the poor.

N.O. is extraordinarily poor. I once saw it listed as the third-poorest American city (over a certain size) after Detroit and Laredo, Texas. N.O. has far more rich people than either of these two, which gives you an idea of how many dirt-poor people there are (and how small the middle class is) in N.O.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: "And why is New Orleans below sea level? The city is a "bowl" as I understand it."

New Orleans was not originally below sea level, it was right on the river... However as time went by and levees were built, this caused the Mississippi to run deeper and faster so as the levees grew in height, New Orleans began to sink somewhat... They call it subsidence (sp?), I believe... AS water is taken out, the land sinks...

My Dad was also the Project Manager on the Lynchburg pump substation and system (Across from the Battleship Texas SW of Houston) in the early 1970s when he passed away. Houston has subsidence (sp?) problems...

[rolling_stone]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040711/news_lz1m11gatekpr.html

here is a picture of the levee near san diego (san ysidro) Calif ...it is a flood control channel in case of excess rains or if the Rodriguez dam in Mexico breaks..it serves as an open sewer channel complete with Tijuana "brown trout" occasionally floating by..

Those (illegal aliens)getting ready to enter the US illegally used to drive their Chevys to the levee and sit and wait (complete with taco vendors)for their chance to run north and grab a piece of the American Pie...most are going east towards Arizona now because of a "triple fence" but some still try their chances here...

[SauronOfMordor]

First, why on earth would anybody build a city BELOW sea level?

They didn't, at the point where NO was founded. It's been sinking into the swamp via subsidence since 1910

New Orleans was originally built on a high, dry spot at the mouth of the Mississippi, serving as an interchange point between river traffic and ocean traffic. It grew and needed to expand, so they built levies. In 1910 they added pumps. As the pumps pumped out groundwater, NO started to sink, requiring more levies and pumping