Levee Plug Effort Fails - Water to Rise Quickly in New Orleans

Mayor Ray Nagin has announced that the attempt to plug a breach in the 17th Street canal at the Hammond Highway bridge has failed and the rising water is about to overwhelm the pumps on that canal.

The result is that water will begin rising rapidly again, and could reach as high as 3 feet above sea level. In New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, that means floodwaters could rise as high as 15 feet in the next few hours. Nagin urged residents to try to find higher ground as soon as possible.

Looting out of control

“People are leaving the Superdome to go to Canal Street to loot,” Thomas said. “Some people broke into drug stores and stole the drugs off the shelves. It is looting times five. I'm telling you, it's like Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Police Officer shot by looter.

The officer, who has not been identified, was in surgery at West Jefferson Medical Center after being shot in the forehead, police said.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said Tuesday that the city might need to set up a temporary morgue to deal with the death toll in a city that's 80 percent flooded, food and water are scarce and an atmosphere of lawlessness has set in as police and other emergency resources are dedicated to rescuing people still stuck in their homes after Hurricane Katrina.

That's not all. Three levees have been broken, flooding areas of the city that appeared to survive the storm. A 50-inch water main under City Park is cut. And power is running out at the Superdome, where some 15,000 to 20,000 people took refuge at the “shelter of last resort.”

At Charity Hospital, which hosts the city's top trauma center, the flood levels got too high foor ambulances to get in or out. “Charity Hospital is in a crisis,” Nagin said. He estimated it would take as long as two weeks to clear out the floodwaters once the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fixes the levees. Also, Municipal Yacht Harbor burned to the ground.

And looting has become so widespread that it's sometimes taking place in full view of police and other emergency workers who are busy searching for any survivors in need of rescue. Drug addicts have been looting pharmacies, Nagin said. There are no official death tolls, but it's expected to be steep. At this point, “Rescue workers are not even dealing with dead bodies. They're just pushing them to the side,” Nagin said.

Michele Malkin is web logging on Katrina with several links - including a page and effort being done by NZ Bear via Hugh Hewitt.

Moved down page

Comments

[TexasGal]

And with talk of evacuating the Superdome, what will they do with all of those people? Those poor people...just when you think it has become as bad as could, something else pops up. Sending major prayers that way.

[chandellesmom]

I saw where they were considering evacuating the people in the superdome because of this. I dont see how they could now.

[Isabell]

they have evacuate them. as long as they get them to higher ground they will be safe or safer. Right now they are up to 20 feet below sea level. It varies in different areas of the city and I am not sure what level the superdome is at.

[Tanya]

Oh no things look really bad.

[chandellesmom]

they have evacuate them. as long as they get them to higher ground they will be safe or safer. Right now they are up to 20 feet below sea level. It varies in different areas of the city and I am not sure what level the superdome is at.

Posted by: Isabell | Aug 30, 2005 10:08:32 PM

Im not sure either. I guess if worse came to worse, the could possible put them in the upper levels of the structure. Its hard to believe people are still out looting knowing those pumps could fail at any minute.

[MarlboroGal]

Man that's some scary s***. I hope the average citizen is locked and loaded. It sounds like protection is nil and will be for some time to come. After "they" finish with the drug stores and grocery stores, the looters may decide to go on some door to door rampage for whatever they can find. Oh yeah, it pays to be armed and know how to shoot. This is a perfect example of WHY, all you liberal anti-gunners.

Signed,
A proud, card carrying member of the NRA

P.S.
Break in my house and/or attack me, and you'll see how well I can shoot.

[sleepy]

i am in houston, yesterday there were 2 shelters outside of houston with talk of opening a 3rd one. now i believe there are 8 of them. the are in need of many things, but they are asking for pillows, blankets, toiletries, toilet paper and games/toys/activities for children.

the city has already made accomodations to try to help them spend some time if they are able by waving ticket purchases for the comets, musuems, kids museums, zoo, etc. all they have to do is show a LA id and they can spend some time at all of the normal activities this city provides.

i am sure we will have even more now that it is clear the refugees will not be returning home anytime soon. the red cross/sal army, in stead of just asking for cash as they have done the past day are now advertising on tv for more volunteers to help, sigh.

did you all see the lines of people walking out o the city on what is left of I-10? They said they were afraid to stay in NO.

[sleepy]

"Its hard to believe people are still out looting knowing those pumps could fail at any minute." (Pyabacks are hell..i hope no one is harmed who is innocent, but those guilty of thieving out of greed deserve what they get.)

They probably don't know it. In addition to everything else, cars that are usable are being carjacked.

[WI Mom]

Thanks for the additional info. This is so sad. As commented by someone on MSM, these looters could be assisting. I will be praying for these poor people. This is just unbelievable (can't come up with a better line).

[!]

I cannot remember in my lifetime such a horrible disaster this became. I can only hope for the best for all these people. There is nothing more that one can do.

[bhm mom too]

Dan, what are the options to donate? Red Cross, others?

[clintcarter]

MarlboroGal you have taken the scenario from the looting of destroyed stores by people who have nothing left
to your anger at the (highly unlikely) possibility that you might have to defend your home by force and BY GOD that's NOT gonna happen to ME! Grab me my gun, DAMMIT! I'm SCARED and I'm shootin' FIRST!

Don't worry though. Even if it doesn't happen in New Orleans, Someday, somewhere, somebody else will cross that line, and you'll have another outlet.

[MarlboroGal]

clintcarter, I sense a little hostility coming from you about the gun issue. I'll get over it because I really don't care what you think. Maybe you feel and are a little inadequate when it comes to guns and how to use them. Throw in the fact that I'm a woman that probably knows more about them and how to use them than you do, a supposed man (according to your screen name), and perhaps you feel a little upset and threatened by a woman that could probably best you in the shooting department. My remarks stay. BTW, you sound a little hysterical.

[clintcarter]

Typical response.

Hostile? Yes I do get upset about close-minded people.
Threatened? Yes, I do feel threatened by close-minded people.
Hysterical? I call it creative writing.

You're right. I HATE the position guns have in our society. Why should the US pursue peaceful means when our biggest industry is the tools of people killing one another?

But Inadequate? ;-)
Tell ya what, we'll use knives, AND you get to choose a stand-in.

Wouldn't want to hurt a woman...

[tuyvnsurvivor]

So sorry to seem to act as one of everything, but an additional ability is I am an inventor and creative.

Would like to fly over the levy area to have a better or more intelligent suggestion, but since I do not have that access I only toss out this suggestion for engineers to consider:

Think of a pick-up-jacks or WWII type beach obstacle. Varrious sizes. With welded plates 20% up each spike to act as both a footing once massive pressure is loaded and as enterlocking devices with mixing of the varrious sized large to medium to small (relative) beach type obstacles. Drop them in by heli, some may do better to be dragged into place, larger placements first. Will take many of these, not that I know if the number is calculable as much as it is an art. After placement, drop hay scattered at first up stream, then heavier and heavier until near plugging of the levy is accomplished. Now to drop specialized water drying cement over the now compacting hay. Yes, the hay will begin to deteriate. Once this cement (reinforcement included?) is done it should now be easier to bring float equiptment alongside to then begin topping the entire makeshift dam with clays, including types that can expand several times (bintonite, not a speller here) their dry dimensions.

A sizable undertaking. Only adding one more option to no doubt massive brainstorming.

[nysewander]

Why isn't the area under martial law with looting out of control. The army should have been sent immediately to stop this. Only the strongest get the food and water. So if the store had to be stripped, it would be the army doing it and distributing the supplies.

[clintcarter]

Tuyvnsurvivor (what's that mean?) It seems part of the problem would be that as the opening narrows (your idea seems as good as any) the flow through the remainder picks up speed (vernier effect?) and becomes even more of a dredge than before, IMO.

Some of the factors:
How much can a helicopter carry in one load?
How much is the levee base breaking down?

Maybe drag some mesh or such across the opening so water still flows but material gets trapped?
Then drop something light that swells in water, then something a little heavier, etc. etc.

How about dynamiting elsewhere so the water is temperarily (somewhat) diverted, while attempting your build-up plug idea?

[clintcarter]

NYSEwander (stock exchange?) I think the Army is in Iraq.

[!]

The levee that was in place was not built to sustain the kind of water and wind that came ashore.
If New orleans is to ever be rebuilt the levee's will have to be rebuilt in a totally different way. In looking at the pictures of the way the levee's were built I can see why gave way. You can not expect levee's built that way to hold the waters back.
It was a waste of time and money to build them the way they were.
The technology available today is far to advanced for the engineers to not be able to come up with a better form of protection.
This was a tradgedy waiting to happen and New Orleans was certanly not prepared.
They should have had many many flat bottom boats stacked in an accessible warehouse someplace and water for the people and food. They had no plan for something like this and certainly should have. Many lessons will be learned from this.
JMO