Posted on 09/23/2005 1:28:20 PM PDT by T.Smith
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Hurricane Rita's wind and rain breached one of New Orleans' battered levees Friday and sent water gushing into the already-devastated Ninth Ward just days after the impoverished neighborhood was pumped dry.
The water streamed through gaps at least 100 feet wide and was soon waist-deep on a nearby street. It began covering buckled homes, piles of rubble and mud-caked cars that Katrina had swamped with up to 20 feet of water nearly a month ago.
There was no immediate indication that the rest of New Orleans was in danger from the new flooding in the Ninth Ward, a particularly low-lying part of the city that has been largely abandoned. Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers said other levees appeared secure, including those breached during Katrina.
The flooding was the first blow to fall on the ravaged city from Rita.
"Our worst fears came true," said Maj. Barry Guidry, a National Guardsman on duty at the broken levee. "We have three significant breaches in the levee and the water is rising rapidly."
Refugees from the misery-stricken neighborhood learned of the crisis with despair.
"It's like looking at a murder," Quentrell Jefferson said as he watched the news at a church in Lafayette, 125 miles west of New Orleans. "The first time is bad. After that, you numb up."
The water poured over and through sandbags, gravel and soil that had been used to temporarily patch breaks in the Industrial Canal levee, said Dan Hitchings, a spokesman with the Corps of Engineers. Around midafternoon, he said the water did not appear to be rising anymore.
He said that the Corps could not immediately reach the spot to repair it, but that pumps would be turned on to help remove the water.
Col. Richard Wagenaar, Corps of Engineers district chief in New Orleans, said the overtopping of the levees would set back repairs at least three weeks. He said, nevertheless, June is still the target for getting the levees back to pre-Katrina levels.
The breach came as Rita began lashing the Gulf Coast with rain and wind and up to 500,000 people in southwestern Louisiana headed north on jammed roads. State police said flooding in coastal Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes forced street closings by midday.
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Just to the east, St. Bernard Parish _ heavily flooded by Katrina _ water from the new breach was threatening from one side and a storm surge along a bayou was lapping at the top of a levee on the other.
Mark Madary, a St. Bernard Parish councilman, said houses that were under 12 feet of water after Katrina would probably get an additional 3 feet. He accused the Army Corps of Engineers of not rebuilding the levee properly.
"Everybody's home's been crushed, and let's hope their dreams aren't," he said.
If and when New Orleans is cleaned up and "fixed", th e9th ward should be bulldozed permanently. There is ZERO logical or convincing reason to rebuild that portion of the city.
Man proposes, nature disposes.
Man can often make thoughtful adaptions with nature, to outright oppose it is a fools course of action and invites an inevitable wake up call.
Yeah, I'm waiting for someone to explain to me again how rebuilding New Orleans is such a great idea, Of course, since I didn't understand it last time, it's only gonna be harder for this poor, ol' dumb SOB to get it this time.
He's just trying to disperse all those Democrat Voters, don't you know? Dilute the effect of African Americans in future elections by dispersing them to into areas where they would be a small minority. Probably them a heck of a favor.
It's all the eeevil ultra-powerful white man again! He could wave his finger and the levees would be restored immediately - if he wanted to. But George Bush told the eeevil white man not to lift a finger and ... oh well, you get the general idea...
You think Someone is trying to give them, and the rest of us, a little hint about something?
YES THAT IS TRUE. WHAT IS THE LATEST ON THE STORM. NOAA SITE IS HECK TO ACCESS RIGHT NOW!
Seems to be a magnet for them.
Mount Trashmore--deep south
Someone with a capital "S" indeed! Yes!
Even if you're not serious, that's been done before. I remember a shopping center in southern DC or Maryland: Marlow Heights (?) built on a landfill because it was swampy before. There was a little methane gas leakage, but your idea may have some merit. If the Arabs can dredge and channel sand to create islands, why can't we use garbage to raise low parts of NO grade above sea level?
Serius-ly.
(I suspect the mayor and governor would prefer dumping piles of $20 bills though)
I read that they already expected this entire neighborhood to be condemned and demolished anyhow, so it's no big deal. Also, I don't think it's quite accurate to call it "impoverished" anymore. I'd say "deserted" is more like it. An area requires poor people in order to be impoverished. There aren't any people left there..
I cannot believe they are going to waste time and us, the taxpayers, money to rebuild a place that isn't worth it.
Yes and what is going to happen once Rita makes land fall?
I haven't heard anyone mention that yet.
Sometimes you just have to flush twice......
Lots of New Orleans east is built on landfill, for that matter...
The same thing I do about people who have white carpeting in their dining room: "You get what you deserve."
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