"Pumps failed" could mean that they're pumping against the water.
There are pumps all over the city, most pump into Lake Pontchartrain, if the lake is high then the pumps can't move the water out.
559 posted on 08/29/2005 5:20:35 AM PDT by CobaltBlue
(Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.)