um is there water coming into downtown New Orleans?

[EverythingIsEverything]

I saw an arial shot of super dome, etc. and i couldn't tell and was not sure if that was water starting to surround the superdome, if someone can clarify and where is this coming from if it is what i saw?

[smashmode]

Yes

there are reports 2 levees we're breached this morning...including downtown..

Why?

I dont know.

[drudd1]

Yes it is. There is a breach in a canal levee. How big varies depending on the source, but water is coming in at a steady pace to the downtown area.

[EverythingIsEverything]

Yes

there are reports 2 levees we're breached this morning...including downtown..

Why?

I dont know.

OMG!! I thought at least they would have come through it without water flooding the city and it not over.

[JamesFromMaine2]

yes N.O. is still flooding and yes that was flooding around the superdome! The French Quarter is also flooding! there are 2 confirmed Breaches in the levee with another unconfirmed breach! One breach is 2 blocks wide and water is coming up 1 foot every hour!

[melhow]

Yes. NBC has a reporter on Bourbon Street as shown this morning on "The Today Show". He said that they have been monitoring the water rise since this morning, and it has been slow and steady. He was in the middle of the street, and the water was up to about his mid hip. The arial shot showed most of the French Quarter with standing water.

[BReb]

Then that's all she wrote for New Orleans, I'm afraid. I honestly can't see the justification to re-build a city in an area that can't withstand a non-direct hit from a Hurricane. Weren't the maximum winds to hit NOLA something like 100 mph?

The best thing we could do is move as many people who live there and are open to moving to other areas of the country where they can work and our economy can absorb them. No point in having a million man refugee camp in the Louisiana bayous.

[melhow]

Then that's all she wrong for New Orleans, I'm afraid. I honestly can't see the justification to re-build a city in an area that can't withstand a non-direct hit from a Hurricane. Weren't the maximum winds to hit NOLA something like 100 mph?

The best thing we could do is move as many people who live there and are open to moving to other areas of the country where they can work an our economy can absorb them. No point in having a million man refugee camp in the Louisiana bayous.

gee, I hope you don't live in any of the following areas:

*On a coast

*On or near a fault line

*In or around the area of hurricane alley

*Near a volcano

*Too far up north

*Near anywhere that gets really hot

*200 miles inland of anywhere that has ever had a hurricane

Because what happened to NO destruction-wise can just as easily happen anywhere in the country. I hope that when and if you have something catastrophic happen in your hometown you don't get some bystander telling you where you should go and what you should do. I get your point about the condundrum many folks will be facing "should I rebuild or whould I just throw in the towel and move", but NO is not the only city with problems.

[gtalum]

Because what happened to NO destruction-wise can just as easily happen anywhere in the country.

That's nto exactly true. Most hurricane-prone areas of the country, the floodwaters will recede on their own, without help, allowing the rebuilding process to begin immediately, and helping to minimize the damage that can occur AFTER a storm. New Orleans' situation below sea level makes it unique in that the floodwaters will have to be pumped out, inch by inch. The damage gets worse and worse every day that homes are under water.

[melhow]

Because what happened to NO destruction-wise can just as easily happen anywhere in the country.

That's nto exactly true. Most hurricane-prone areas of the country, the floodwaters will recede on their own, without help, allowing the rebuilding process to begin immediately, and helping to minimize the damage that can occur AFTER a storm. New Orleans' situation below sea level makes it unique in that the floodwaters will have to be pumped out, inch by inch. The damage gets worse and worse every day that homes are under water.

The point I was making is that catastrophe can happen anywhere.

[gtalum]

The point I was making is that catastrophe can happen anywhere.

You're correct on that point. And I'm not one to criticize people for living in harm's way, as I myself live in Florida.

That said, certain areas have much more potential for catastrophe than others, and IMHO New Orleans has more potential for catastrophe than any other American city.

[x-y-no]

Yes. NBC has a reporter on Bourbon Street as shown this morning on "The Today Show". He said that they have been monitoring the water rise since this morning, and it has been slow and steady. He was in the middle of the street, and the water was up to about his mid hip. The arial shot showed most of the French Quarter with standing water.

Oh ... that's not good at all. Bourbon St. is a couple of feet above sea level - so if it is flooding to that extent, then most of the city is deeper than that.

[DESTRUCTION5]

Were talking about complete martial law here folks..Home on Fire people on roofs and the eater is Rising 1/f per hr...This is very bad...Very...Makes Andrew look like a puss...

[MBismyPlayground]

I agree.......The aftermath of this storm in NO may actually create more destruction and death then the actual Hurricane. More flooding, fires, ect....and let us not forget the health hazards that will become progressivly worse. Bodies in the water, fuel in the water, stagnation, insects ect.......the worst possible senario is playing out before our eyes.

[NewOrleans]

You know something breb!

It is people's with attitudes such as yours, that make me want to live in my home town of New Orleans, rather than anywhere else. It is the most historical city in America. Why would I prefer to live anywhere else?

Maybe if the federal gov't. would give us only half the dollars the state of Louisiana generates to the U.S. economy through oil & gas revenues, we could rebuild our marshland and this sort of thing wouldn't happen.

You must be one self-centered, immature individual.

[Courtnay Mccullers]

all he said is that it might not be the best place to build a city.

lots of Americans are probably getting sick and tired of footing the bill to pay for people who build in such succeptible places.

i wonder what struggling farmers in nebraska think about having some of their tax money go to help repair luxury condominiums along the gulf coast.

[Canelaw99]

These arguments over whether people should live in dangerous areas is moot. People will continue to live along the coasts which are prone to hurricanes. People will continue to live in the midwest which are susceptible to tornadoes. People will continue to live in California which is home to most earthquakes. What we, as Americans, should do is rally around those of our countrymen who are in need at that moment, no matter what the disaster. I, for one, feel for those in Katrina's path as I have seen what she did here as a minimal Cat. 1. Yes, NO is below sea level and no, it doesn't make sense to me that people stayed in that kind of situation and are shocked when it floods. BUT, I'm not one to tell people where they should or shouldn't live. If you want to live in a place that's prone to a natural disaster, then do it, but prepare the best way that you can. It's that simple.

[djtil]

It is the most historical city in America

wow...really? the northeasters are aghast.

[inotherwords]

What's sad is when they built the levees around the city to supposedly "protect" it, they ended up making the situation worse.

I don't know if computer modeling would now help people understand the stupidity of doing things like this (and like draining the Everglades, and cementing the bayous in Houston and rivers in LA, and the other crazy things they thought would "improve" things) before the fact instead of after. But I sure hope so.

I have no problem contributing to a sensible rebuilding of New Orleans. It's not like this kind of storm happens there every two years. As far as the Nebraska farmers having a problem with rebuilding condos, they might have an issue with this. But I bet they want to keep the port open and vital so their grain can be shipped to other countries, and the people who work at and support the port need to live somewhere close by.

And I LOVE the historical areas and beautiful period homes throughout the city. I don't know if I'd call it the "most historical" in the country but it's right up there. It's certainly, along with San Francisco, one of the most interesting and beautiful cities we have in the country.

[alicia-w]

The mayor said that 80% of the city is flooded with 8-20 feet of water. He also said that the water in the French Quarter was hip deep. That's relative to how tall you are, I guess.

The tragedy here is FAR from over.