Won't this make it harder to pump things out below sea level? Or are they planning to rebuild the levees before they do that anyway [which may be a good idea, since I have no idea if they'd ever be able to withstand a pressure differential again].
Screw that levee system. They need to go to bedrock and build a dam.... sort of like the huge dam on the Brazil/Paraguay border.
Getting the water down to sea level naturally, while you fix the pumps would be a big help.