Times Picayune: Tidal shift (water receding)

[brooklynite]

Maj. Gen. Don Reily, head of the U.S. Corps of Engineers' storm recovery operation, said at midday Wednesday that Lake Pontchartrain water level has dropped and has “equalized” with flood-waters in the city. That means water has begun to recede, flowing back into the lake, at a rate of approximately a half-inch an hour.

The general said this should continue, except during a high tide “later in the evening.”

“As it (the water) recedes this will help” the attempt by the Corps and the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board to temporarily plug the breach in the 17th Street Canal and drive sheet-pilings and also possibly rock into the junction of the canal at Lake Pontchartain,” the general said.

In the two-pronged operation, the huge sandbags and “concrete jersey-barriers are being dumped into the flood-wall breach,” by the Corps, the general said at a press conference in Baton Rouge early Wednesday afternoon where a New Orleans Sewer and Water official and U.S. Sens. Mary Landrieu and David Vitter also spoke.

If these two attempts are successful, and the lake recedes more, the next step will start as soon as the city gets power to their pumps, he said. The temporary plug at the lakeshore will then be removed so that pumping station Number 6, which he said handles about 10,000 cubic feet of water per second, can began pushing water out of that canal into the lake, he said.

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html#075474

[jobycom]

1. Great news. Finally. nt.

[MADem]

2. It's only as the water recedes that the extent of the horror will be

revealed. Without the pumps though, everything is on standby.

[despairing optimist]

3. Isn't there a storm surge from upriver expected on Friday?

I think that was mentioned today on Democracy Now: 5-9 feet surge. That would flow into Lake Pontchartrain and back into NO.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. partly from the remnants of the hurricane

entering the mississippi

yes, in other words.

[Just Me]

5. Okay. Good. Now, get those pumps running!!!

ASAP!!!

[philarq]

6. anyone seen a site that shows where water is?

I am looking for info on Metarie and some friends who may be there. BBC has an info site up on its main page also but I was looking for info on specific neighborhoods.

[drthais]

8. Metarie is largely underwater

but not completely
anyone who is still there
is waiting to be rescued and evacuated

[muwriter]

12. Hit by storm, but not suffering from levee breech IIRC location correctly

[philarq]

14. yeah--this is what I have seen

that there was some water in metarie, but the major breach was on the other side of the 17th street canal, I also cant find a couple friends in Laurel Miss, but one actually posted on here earlier from "parts unknown" and the other I tried to call earlier, but there is no phone service there apparently--I will e-mail all the addresses I have, home and work, and hope for the best, i do not believe that they had any damage there, just no electric nor phone it seems. --thanks all

[KamaAina]

13. Try WWL-TV

http://www.wwltv.com

They have a message board for each parish.

edit: link

[drthais]

7. They forgot to mention this:

It has been determined
that it will take six months to pump the water out of the city

I hate the hype and the spin
we're having a hard enough time down here

[NorthernSpy]

9. the National Weather Service says it may rain during the next few days

Life really sucks down there right now.

:(

[Sgent]

10. I wish it would

the intermittent rains that NOLA usually gets in the summer would be welcome. It won't significantly add to the problem, but will provide 1000's of people fresh (relatively) clean drinking water.

[NorthernSpy]

11. good point!

I understand the lack of clean water is becoming a very serious issue.