A FEMA spokesman talking to FOXNews’ Jeff Goldblatt from New Orleans’ 9th Ward reports that there have been no confirmed breaches or seepages to the levee system, though the area continues to fill up with water. The current thinking is that storm surging is overtopping the levee walls at the Industrial Street Canal.
FEMA is pulling back—there’s not much they can do while water is coming in, the spokesman says—but Army Corp of Engineers continues to assess the situation.
At the 17th Street Canal, the levee embankment has sprung a few sink holes, which the Army Corp of Engineers have been able to pack in. So far, though, the levee is holding –though the waters outside are only 2 feet from the levee’s top with Rita still 100 miles from landfall.
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update: Levees aren’t holding in St Bernard’s Parrish.
Fox is currently showing water pouring through at least one big breach in the industrial canal now. Reflooding parts of the city that had been recently pumped dry. Ugh.
I gotta think levee upgrades will be 1st priority throughout this coming year and within the next 5 years we’ll be seeing Discovery Channel specials about how N.O. is finally prepared for the worst. Day late, dollar short, but it’s going to happen.
Hey dude…you missed a closing italic tag, I think…
Close your tag, you’re italicizing me!
Starting to get breezy up here in NW Houston.
We’ve really been let off the hook with this thing.
Damn Karl Rove
I knew there was a reason we are stringing secondary power cable into our building here at NAS New Orleans…
italians!!!!
Looks like Nagin got the message. Now has 500 buses lined up yet only 27 riders. Wonder how many he would have had the Sunday before Katrina.
Jeff: Wrap that rascal!
Steve in Houston: So far, we’re lucky, and while that could change, I hope it doesn’t.
National news is apparently telling a different story than the local yeomen, and it’s causing me to get a lot of worried calls from folks wondering when me and the family are leaving, while ignoring the question of “to where, how, and why?”
Sorry to hear about the flooding of St. Bernard Parrish. We can only hope that someone is coming for President Broussard.
Wonder how many he would have had the Sunday before Katrina.
Honestly, not that many. There was very little sign of people who want to leave but couldn’t. Only about 12000 went to the ‘Dome by Sunday night, not the 30-40000 expected. There was no outcry from people over the weekend about lack of a way out. If the guessed 80% evacuation for Katrina is true, it’s way higher than any prediction I had ever heard.
However, having the RTA buses availible, as per the plan, might have pushed people into leaving who were on the edge. Even people who had cars might feel more like using them when they see bus convoys heading out of the city.
In re News:
Please remember, everyone, that the last official word on anything may be Over Taken By Events.
Something that the media will never let on that, you know, between the last message and now the situation may have changed, but news of the change may not have gotten to the top of the chain.
They can’t let you know that – it interferes with their “gotcha” style of “reporting”.
(scare quotes intentional).