[promoted by BooMan]
Levee breach floods Lakeview, Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park:
A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new ‘hurricane proof’ Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina’s fiercest winds were well north. The breach sent a churning sea of water coursing across Lakeview and into Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park and neighborhoods farther south and east.
More excerpts below the fold. CNN has reports on this. Plus, New Orleans Major speaks here, and a timely Salon.com reading.
Officers working on the scene said virtually every home and business between the 17th Street Canal and the Marconi Canal, and between Robert E. Lee Boulevard and City Park Avenue, had water in it. Nobody had confirmed any fatalities as a result of the levee breach, but they conceded that hundreds of homes had not been checked.
Dozens of residents evacuated to the dry land of the Filmore Street bridge over the Marconi Canal were stranded between the flooded neighborhood on their right, and the flooded City Park on their left, hours after they had been plucked from rooftops or second-story windows.
Ed Gruber, who lives in the 6300 block of Canal Boulevard, said he became desperate when the rising water chased he, his wife, Helen, and their neighbor Mildred K. Harrison to the second floor of their home. When Gruber saw a boat pass by, he flagged it down with a light, and the three of them escaped from a second-story window.
On the lakefront, pleasure boats were stacked on top of each other like cordwood in the municipal marina and yacht harbor. The Robert E. Lee shopping center was under 7 feet of water. Plantation Coffeehouse on Canal Boulevard was the same. Hines Elementary School had 8 feet of water inside.
[The] entire business district along Harrison Avenue had water to the rooflines in many places.
The effect of the breach was instantly devastating to residents who had survived the fiercest of Katrina?s winds and storm surge intact, only to be taken by surprise by the sudden deluge. And it added a vast swath of central New Orleans to those already flooded in eastern New Orleans, the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes.
Officials of the Army Corps of Engineers have contingencies for levee breaches such as the one that happened Monday, but it will take time and effort to get the heavy equipment into place to make the repair. Breach repair is part of the Corps’ planning for recovery from catastrophic storms, but nobody Monday was able to say how long it would take to plug the hole, or how much water would get through it before that happened.
I just read that the mayor says that 80% of the city is underwater. My heart aches for all those people wondering what in the world they will do now.
from msnbc:
Just posted on the Times-Picayune website: the newspaper’s staff is evacuating the building due to rising water outside the building.
Why is the water still rising? The damage to the levees? The rain? Is it still raining? What is cousing the water to rise?
What a mess — I have a very bad feeling about all of this. very bad indeed.
As I understand it, Brinn, the Lake Ponchatrain levees are giving way. It seems that the worst-case scenario is happening, it is just happening more slowly than anticipated. Instead of everything overflowing during the hurricane, it’s overflowing now, partly–I think–because of the rivers upstream, etc.
[nod] The entire Mississippi Watershed is upstream of New Orleans. Judging from a NOAA image that I’m looking at, a fair chunk of what’s left of the storm is still raining into that watershed. Whatever doesn’t evaporate or get otherwise diverted eventually ends up in the Mississippi, which flows right through New Orleans.
Usually, the levees keep the Mississippi more-or-less contained. But until they get the levees fixed, the Mississippi River will flow where it damn well pleases.
Here’s a WaPo article that explains what is happening:
Flooding: LINK
There’s two reasons water is rising. You have levees that have been breeched, and water is coming through those. You also have the water that had already gotten into New Orleans seeking the lowest level.
Last night when I saw the neighbourhoods up to their eaves in water I realized how bad this is going to get. First, massive numbers of people are now homeless with no possessions – meds, clothes, toiletries, food, etc. People were trapped in their attics, screaming for help. Rescuers in boats were navigating through the streets, those with props were trying to avoid hitting road signs and downed lines.
How long will it take for that water to recede – days, weeks? Where will these people live in the meantime? What will they have to return to? These neighbourhoods will have to be torn down. The houses will be full of sludge and sewage and critters… And in the wake of the storm, that becomes the problem. How do house and care for an entire city that is suddenly homeless? (And what about jobs … the local economy is suddenly stopped.)
That was before the levee was breached too. They are reporting that the water is continuing to rise. The latest update here (good source for updates),
Both airports are underwater. The mayor has said that 80% of his city is underwater, in some places 20ft deep. (link)
They said it could take a month to get power restored. Many poles were snapped in two. (link)
Governor Blanco said, “Worse than our worst fears.” (link)
So while the storm veered off, and didn’t hit NO directly, they are still suffering a major catastrophe.
And now there are fires nobody can get to. Gas mains erupting and burning, etc. An emergency evacuation has been ordered, but how in the world will they get all those people out of the Superdome? The streets around the dome are now flooded, though I don’t know how deep.
…being stuck in that dome with another 9000 people? That’s the size of a small town.
Can you imagine sleeping on a stadium chair? If you’re already arthritic etc., you’d be lucky to be able to stand up-right.
oh kansas … it looks bad, doesn’t it. They’ll have to bring boats to evacuate, but where will they take them?
And the babies and children? The moms and dads must be going crazy.
I wonder if they can take boats in when water is moving so fast. I just read in an msnbc story that the water is rising so fast on Canal Street there are whitecaps. A major hospital is preparing to move l000 patients. . .but to where?
This is horrible. A WGNO reporter named Susan was just interviewed on CNN and said a man had comitted suicide inside the dome by jumping. She said people are begging her to tell President Bush they need help. I’m just heartbroken.
Izzy …
The reporter said he was playing dominoes w/ others, then got up and walked to the edge, calmly yelled at those below to watch out, and then jumped to his death.
She also reported that the toilets are backed up (and I heard yesterday there are 100 bathrooms in the dome).
She said it is hot.
And yes, people are begging Bush for help.
You’re watching tv news, too? Is it just me, or are they really just displaying a disgusting lack of… I dunno — compassion? humanity? I keep hearing about the buildings, cars, oil, looting and how this could be “the most expensive” storm and it’s just making me sick.
The reporters calling in are serious and breaking up, and the anchors just move on from that to property damage. Plus, I’m furious they keep acting like the people who stayed are just stubborn or nuts. They’ll interview someone who’ll say outright — there’s thousands of people trapped who were too poor to even get to the evacuation shelters, nevermind out of the area — and the anchor will turn around, shake their head and say some dumbass thing like — who knows why some people think they can ride it out?
That was my initial thoughts late last night watching CNN. The anchors didn’t seem to grasp the enormity of the situation post-storm. They seemed to be sighing w/ relief that the eye had passed by NO.
You could hear the raw emotion in Jean(?) Meserve’s voice as she talked about the problems post-storm – the people trapped and screaming for help, the dogs barking, trapped as well. She actually broke down I think.
The anchors were and are detached though. Can understand their need to maintain professional demeanour to a degree, but at times they did appear w/out compassion and humanity. And yes, there are many reasons people stayed (no transportation, immobility, didn’t want to leave pets, etc.).
I read that some of the looting was for food and diapers and clothing … some of those pulled from attics have only underwear on. People are probably panicked and lost and in desperate need of these items. It’s not just a bunch of badasses out for the joy of looting…
Exactly. Yesterday they said a lot of the police couldn’t help with rescue because they were “dealing with” looters. Unbelievable.
Yes, she did break down. I can understand them being stupid and missing the enormity of the story at first, but by now someone should have explained it to them. Can you imagine if on 9/11, if we had heard mostly about the cost of rebuilding and the stock market and next to nothing about the loss of life? It’s obscene. I’m actually sort of shocked. I hate to say this, but Fox news seems to be the only one giving some attention to real story.
yes, I heard that last night. you could barely hear her over the noise of barking dogs, I imagine that all over the city is the sound of panicked barking by abandoned pets trapped in the houses. I understand the difficulties facced by rescue personal and why they couldn’t go out at night–but why weren’t the marines out there with night vision equipment last night??? This is just heartbreaking.
From my understanding, it won’t recede. The levees will have to be repaired, and the water will have to be pumped out. I have no idea what kind of time that will take.
You’re right e, it will have to be pumped, which is why the timeline on power generation rebuild is extremely nb. Also nb, the fact that levees are still being breached and water still rising.
This is the passage that did it for me — not because it constitutes the worst damage. It’s just so visual. It’s like something from a movie.
No, this is the worst I’ve read:
11:54 A.M. – Kenner mayor asking for more National Guard. Asks anyone with the guard to call 468-7200.
Too bad they’re all in Iraq.
I hope Bush burns in hell.
That and the one further down, asking anyone with boats to come help with the rescue and recovery mission.
Those people are in deep trouble, and the people who should be there to help are off guarding the oil in a foreign desert.
I hope Bush burns in hell.
If he doesn’t, I’ll be forced to conclude that there is no hell.
Is he at least off vacation yet?
Decided to cut the vacay short at 11:21 this morning. Evil makes him sound like he’s human. He’s not.
State disaster plans depend on the state NG for trained personnel and equipment.
From WWL-TV net feed… Engineering experts were on saying it would take months for the Army Corps of Engineers to bring pumps from outside New Orleans and start pumping the water out of the city.
If New Orleans can get it’s own pumps working because of flood damage, New Orleans could stay flooded for months.
Flooded for months, indeed.
Check out this lady’s blog – some amazing pictures and images of the devastated city.
All that water must be pumped out! The area is below sea-level.
THe SHIT-STREAM media — I had to turn them off before my heart explodes — I am sooo pissed off, what the FUCKING hell is wrong with these people?
Let’s talk about the damage to the casinos, the looting of chips (chips for fuck’s sake?!?), the damage to the Hyatt hotel and the fucking French Quarter.
Let’s shake our heads and moralize about how awful it is that people are taking advantage and getting “new jeans and electronics” (as if the bloody electronics survived the storm), yeah, right all of these people are taking fucking plasma TVs — to where??
Where are they taking them?
And for all of their blathering they did not show ONE picture of that happening.
I saw people taking FOOD — the anchor’s are sitting there jabbering about how taking an “entire produce section” is not just desperation for survival.
Oh, yeah? Why the hell not? These people know that there’s no help on the way anytime soon and besides, what the fucking hell is going to happen to the food anyway???? Isn’t it better if it saves a life? The grocery owner will get compensated for the loss either way. Godammn them all to hell.
Oh, yes, and let’s not forget to CONTINUALLY wonder out loud about waht makes people WANT TO STAY — yes, that’s what they said, “It’s hard to figure out why people would want to stay” — yes, all of these poor people are just too fucking stupid to leave when they were told to, what dumbasses they are.
What in the fucking bloody hell is WRONG with these people? What?
I am so sick to my fucking stomach right now and I’m bouncing off of the walls. I wish I got some international TV news right now — I’m sure that THEY have MUCH MORE COMPASSION (read: any at all) for the victims of this storm…ye goddes, I despise this country right now.
Oh, and on another note: I heard a commecial on Air America this morning for botox injections in your UNDERARMS to “do away with excessive sweating” — holy crap! Human have so lost their way as a species, I’m not even sure we deserve to evolve — not that I have much hope left that we will.
With that, I will go get a beer before I put my fist through the wall. Hubby wouldn’t like that too much.
Sorry to vent, but I just had to.
Thank you, brinnainne. You’re not alone. I’ve been ranting pretty much along these same line since last night. I feel like my head’s gonna explode. I hate to even say this (and I already did in a comment above), but Fox News is doing a much better job than the rest. They at least seem to be able to grasp what the narrative of this story is — they seem to be focusing on the people rather than the property. I don’t even understand what’s wrong with the people at the news stations. I just don’t get it.
And thank you, Izzy — I will not turn the TV back on — I will count on you all to tell me what’s going on. I can’t take anymore right now, I am under enough stress as it is. Tomorrow I’m going to donate blood, but today, there is nothing I can do and to watch these talking heads in their dry, safe studios passing judgement on others is more than I can bear.
At least they’re “covering” it, I suppose, (though there’s a part of me that thinks these poor people would be better off in the long run if the just stopped!) thereare things that go on all over the world that are as bad as this and we don’t hear tell of them on the shit-stream….
has to wait EIGHT FUCKING DAYS to come home!!
Why?
Why?
Why?
hattip to krazypuppy who has this story posted on kos
I ripped this off from the Center for American Progress … if this is too long for the comments section, let me know … but it sure seems like a GREAT SUMMARY!
Here’s the Story of a Hurricane
In 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency ranked a major hurricane strike on New Orleans as “among the three likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country,” directly behind a terrorist strike on New York City. Yesterday, disaster struck. One of the strongest storms in recorded history rocked the Gulf Coast, bringing 145 mph winds and floods of up to 20 feet. One million residents were evacuated; at least 65 are confirmed dead. Tens of thousands of homes were completely submerged. Mississippi’s governor reported “catastrophic damage on all levels.” Downtown New Orleans buildings were “imploding,” a fire chief said. Oil surged past $70 a barrel. New Orleanians were grimly asking each other, ”So, where did you used to live?” (To donate to Red Cross disaster relief, click here or call 1-800-HELP-NOW). While it happened, President Bush decided to … continue his vacation, stopping by the Pueblo El Mirage RV and Golf Resort in El Mirage, California, to hawk his Medicare drug benefit plan. On Sunday, President Bush said, “I want to thank all the folks at the federal level and the state level and the local level who have taken this storm seriously.” He’s not one of them. Below, the Progress Report presents “How Not to Prepare for a Massive Hurricane,” by President Bush, congressional conservatives, and their corporate special interest allies.
SLASH SPENDING ON HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS IN NEW ORLEANS:
Two months ago, President Bush took an ax to budget funds that would have helped New Orleans prepare for such a disaster. The New Orleans branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suffered a “record $71.2 million” reduction in federal funding, a 44.2 percent reduction from its 2001 levels. Reports at the time said that thanks to the cuts, ”major hurricane and flood protection projects will not be awarded to local engineering firms. … Also, a study to determine ways to protect the region from a Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now.” (Too bad Louisiana isn’t a swing state. In the aftermath of Hurricane Frances — and the run-up to the 2004 election — the Bush administration awarded $31 million in disaster relief to Florida residents who didn’t even experience hurricane damage.)
DESTROY NATURAL HURRICANE PROTECTIONS:
The Gulf Coast wetlands form a “natural buffer that helps protect New Orleans from storms,” slowing hurricanes down as they approach from sea. When he came into office, President Bush pledged to uphold the “no net loss” wetland policy his father initiated. He didn’t keep his word. Bush rolled back tough wetland policies set by the Clinton administration, ordering federal agencies “to stop protecting as many as 20 million acres of wetlands and an untold number of waterways nationwide.” Last year, four environmental groups issued a joint report showing that administration policies had allowed “developers to drain thousands of acres of wetlands.” The result? New Orleans may be in even greater danger: “Studies show that if the wetlands keep vanishing over the next few decades, then you won’t need a giant storm to devastate New Orleans — a much weaker, more common kind of hurricane could destroy the city too.”
GUT THE AGENCY TASKED WITH DEVELOPING HURRICANE RESPONSES:
Forward-thinking federal plans with titles like “Issues and Options in Flood Hazards Management,” “Floods: A National Policy Concern,” and “A Framework for Flood Hazards Management” would be particularly valuable in a time of increasingly intense hurricanes. Unfortunately, the agency that used to produce them — the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) — was gutted by Gingrich conservatives several years ago. As Chris Mooney (who presciently warned of the need to bulk up hurricane defenses in New Orleans last May) noted yesterday, “If we ever return to science-based policymaking based on professionalism and expertise, rather than ideology, an office like OTA would be very useful in studying how best to save a city like New Orleans — and how Congress might consider appropriating money to achieve this end.”
SEND OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO FIGHT A WAR OF CHOICE:
National Guard and Reserve soldiers are typically on the front lines responding to disasters like Katrina — that is, if they’re not fighting in Iraq. Roughly 35 percent of Louisiana’s National Guard is currently deployed in Iraq, where guardsmen and women make up about four of every 10 soldiers. Additionally, “Dozens of high water vehicles, humvees, refuelers and generators” used by the Louisiana Guard are also tied up abroad. “The National Guard needs that equipment back home to support the homeland security mission,” Louisiana National Guard Lt. Colonel Pete Schneider told reporters earlier this month. ”Recruitment is down dramatically, mostly because prospective recruits are worried about deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan or another country,” the AP reported recently. “I used to be able to get about eight people a month,” said National Guard 1st Sgt. Derick Young, a New Orleans recruiter. “Now, I’m lucky if I can get one.”
HELP FUEL GLOBAL WARMING:
Severe weather occurrences like hurricanes and heat waves already take hundreds of lives and cause millions in damages each year. As the Progress Report has noted, data increasingly suggest that human-induced global warming is making these phenomena more dangerous and extreme than ever. “The hurricane that struck Louisiana yesterday was nicknamed Katrina by the National Weather Service,” science author Ross Gelbspan writes. “Its real name is global warming.” AP reported recently on a Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysis that shows that “major storms spinning in both the Atlantic and the Pacific … have increased in duration and intensity by about 50 percent” since the 1970s, trends that are “closely linked to increases in the average temperatures of the ocean surface and also correspond to increases in global average atmospheric temperatures during the same period.” Yet just last week, as Katrina was gathering steam and looming over the Gulf, the Bush administration released new CAFE standards that actually encourage automakers to produce bigger, less fuel efficient vehicles, while preventing states from taking strong, progressive action to reverse global warming.
The current diary on DKos is over 600 comments and impossible to navigate.
Reading the history of New Orleans in this excellent Salon.com article makes me so angry and distraught. I hope I do not see Bush hugging survivors, I will be sick. But I don’t want to be too political.
The artcle is available on a day pass after watching an ad.
http://salon.com/books/feature/2005/08/30/mcphee/index.html
Excerpts from a 1989 book:
She could not or would not answer the question about the dangers contained in the flood water.
From Salon.com
The water contains sewage, toxic chemicals, electric wires, some live, broken gas pipelines bubbling according to a CNN photographer on the scene last night.
Governor suggests a ‘day of prayer.’
Didn’t you get the impression that it wasn’t that she was obfuscating, but that she barely understood the question, much less had an answer? Republicans don’t recognize the concept “pollution,” I guess.
Yes, she was not being political, she clearly did not understand. It is all above her comprehension. I’m tempted to say that she is ‘stupid’ but that would be judgmental. 😉
I have been reading some of the comments today and I want to say to you all that making unkind remarks about republicans, governors and anchors is very troubling to me at this time. Getting angry, that won’t help.
I have been listenting non stop to cable new for days now and I ‘don’t’ find the same fault as some have seemed to see. I wonder at times if we are watching the same broadcasts.
In my ever so humble opinion, now is the time to spread love and understanding, not recriminations a time to come together, not spread us apart even more a time to reflect on our own families and how much they mean to us.
I fully believe that all the services are doing the very best they can with an extremely difficult situation.
I would also hope that everyone starts to plan their own distaster plan and kit no matter where they live. On my site I have a good deal of info regarding planning for that and you can get to my site with link below. Also redcross and fema have very good disaster info.
Someone asked why the dome was picked as the shelter of last resort, it was done for the many thousands who had no way of leaving the city..certainly not ideal but there simply was no other place.
Please send your good thoughts and prayers to all, be they ‘republican governors’ or anyone involved in this terrible disaster.
but I do not take back one thing that I’ve said. I am feeling fury because I care about the victims of this storm. All of them. I do not count the news anchors in their dry safe places among them, and I cannot see them “doing the best they can” and I certainly will NOT conceed that our federal government is doing the best that they can.
State and local people, yes, the news people ON THE SCENE, I might cut some slack, first responders and the Coast Guard who are plucking people off of roofs, of course, the Red Cross and other aid agencies, most certainly.
Again, I apoligize if anything I’ve written has upset you, but isn’t this a place for me to express myself as well?
Perhaps you didn’t mean this to come across as the admonishment that I hear in your post, but I am doing the best I can as well.
I understand all the pain that many feel and I feel as well and I was not directing my comments to anyone, but just in general. You don’t have to apologize to me for anything, Brin. I just wanted to have my say, no more, no less than anyone else.
BTW, I have heard many reports about not only the preparations years before for this kind of event, but the work that is being done now.
It’s just very difficult for anyone/instution to mount the total kind of relief effort that this will require.
I am sorry that my post came across that way, Brin. you know I love you all and I feel for the way you are taking this…just thought maybe I could help to redirect some of the anger into something else but perhaps I have now created anger directed at myself.
I’m going to donate blood tomorrow and see what the Red Cross needs that I can provide (I can’t donate $$ being in the midst of bankruptcy). So I will have a way to do something besides rant…
I have read the reports as well, and from what I’ve seen, many knew this was coming/possible but greed and the lust for money took the day, the short-sightedness and instant gratification that our consumer culture is built on it what I’m angry about, the complete ass-backwardness of our societal priorities.
I can appreciate that the relief effort is a monumental undertaking, my point is that though we couldn’t control Katrina, we could have controled ourselves.