100-200 meter levee breach responsible for rising waters

[Ryan McGinnis]

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/

"Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Marty Bahamond, stationed at the New Orleans Emergency Operations Center, said a 100-to-200-meter section of levee and wall failed on the eastern side of the 17th Street Canal at the Hammond Highway bridge, which connects Buck Town in Metairie and West Lakeview in New Orleans.

Bahamond said the breach is a major factor in flooding that now covers an area bounded by the 17th Street Canal, the Industrial Canal and Interstate 10, and is spreading."

 

[David Wolfson]

Uh, huh. That's what I suspected. Anyone have a 500' cork to keep the whole city from filling up? Yecch.

 

[Will Tinder]

CNN is now reporting that the breach is along the Lake Pontchatrain levee, and that Tulane Medical Center as well as another hospital (Charity Hospital) will have to be evacuated, as their generators will soon be flooded. The V.P. of Tulane University Medical Center is reporting water is rising at a rate that is "faster than an inch every five minutes."

 

[David Wolfson]

The proponents of Intelligent Design better take a good look at New Orleans. Good grief. Hey, let's build the whole city below sea level and put a huge lake and river above it held back by levees and walls that we know can't stand up to a major hurricane.

 

[MClarkson]

the point of failure seems to have been under construction.

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/images/nolal...alevees_jpg.jpg

look at #5.

"the hammond highway bridge over the 17th street canal is being replaced.... huge sandbags are kept nearby to plug this hole..."

 

[B Ozanne]

Is this a new failure or just spreading from the original failure early Monday morning?