WDSU....Katrina Blog. Updates on people stuck in storm

[Roxy66]

"11:50 a.m.:St. Bernard Residents Forced Into Attics
Several people in St. Bernard Parish have been forced into their attics because of the rising water. In many homes, the water has risen above the second floor. "We know people are up in their attics hollering for help," said state Sen. Walter Boasso. The state Department of Wildlife and Fish says it is standing by with 60 boats and will head out into neighborhoods as soon as the winds subside to assist stranded and trapped residents"

http://www.wdsu.com/weather/4908558/detail.html

[CottonBear]

1. WWLTV Katrina Update:

http://www.wwltv.com/
Homeland Security Chief Terry Ebbert estimates it may take a month to get power back to everyone in New Orleans.

Councilman Oliver Thomas said he had received 120 distress calls from people in the Ninth Ward trapped by the storm. He said crews can not get to these people until hurricane force winds cease, the guess for that time frame is about 2 p.m.

Karen Swensen reports that Charity Hospital lost its windows on the 4th floor and that patients are being huddled in the hallways.

Senator Walter Boasso of St. Bernard Parish says there is 12 feet of water in most of the parish, up to the second floor in many homes.

Reports of 3-4 feet of water in Lakeview.

Apartment building on Wright Avenue in Terrytown has collapsed with people inside, according to Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee. Rescue crews have not been able to get to the scene as of 9:30 a.m.

Karen Swensen says there is 3 feet of water downtown near the Hyatt. She reports several office windows coming out whole from buildings.

Two holes ripped in Superdome roof, visible from facility floor, according to Associated Press reports.

.. A LEVEE BREACH OCCURRED ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL AT TENNESSE STREET. 3 TO 8 FEET OF WATER IS EXPECTED DUE TO THE BREACH...LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO ARABI AND 9TH WARD OF NEW ORLEANS.

St. Bernard Parish spokesman Larry Ingargiola says the parish's two shelters at Chalmette High and St. Bernard High are suffering major damage. He said Chalmette High shelter is losing its roof, and St. Bernard High has plenty of broken windows and glass. He estimates 300-plus refugees at the two sites.

Entergy says 317,000 customers were without power as of 6 a.m. Cleco reported 40,000 without power in St. Tammany Parish.

St. Bernard Parish officials say most of the parish has no power.
http://www.wwltv.com/

[steve2470]

2. self delete nt

[expatriot]

4. when the tide comes up around a sand castle....

at first the sand castle looks like it is fine..... then the base gives way....


i want to believe the worst is over but these reports....

[soothsayer]

5. NOLA is going to be fine. Flooding in one place that flooded from

Betsy. Some damage, sure, but the lady is still standing! (Thanks, Marie Laveaux!)

[spinbaby]

6. Stupid question

When a levee is breached, do they have sandbags or something to fix the breach right away or will the water keep coming in until the water in the city is at the level of the lake?

[jobycom]

7. I think these are levies, not dikes

A dike holds water out, like a dam. The water on one side is higher than the other. A levy is a large berm on the bank or shore, which forms an extra barrier against floods. So normally, a levy is above the level of the water on the other side. If a levy breaks, it just means that the flood waters crashing from the other side can get through.

So if there is an extreme flood and the levy breaks, the water flows through until the hole is patched, or until the water recedes. Whether it will fill the area on the other side of the levy depends on drainage and land level and height of flood waters, and probably other things, like pumps. It could fill a low-lying area with water, if the water was high enough. It could form a river flowing through the breach and to another body of water. It could wipe out more of the levy. It could rush throught he breach like a mighty river, or it could splash through the breach if the breach is below the actual water level, forming waves but not a continuous flow.

Eventually, a breach in a levee will return to above the water level as the flood recedes, whereas a breach in a dike that is normally below the water level won't recede, it will have to be patched. With a levy, the flood water through the breach might drain away, or it might stay until it is pumped out, depending on drainage and elevation and such.

The Industrial Canal is a canal dug between the River and the Lake, and if I recall correctly, had lower levees than the River and the Lake. Something like 12 foot. So it could be that the water was washing over the top of the levee. I haven't seen a better description of it, so that's just speculation. Obviously, though, water washing over the top of it can weaken or wash away part of it.

But as far as I understand it, this wasn't a dike giving way, this was just flood water coming through the levy, so the breach was likely above the normal Lake and River water level.

That's all speculation on my part, just from having heard lots of such discussions with previous cases of floods and storms around New Orleans. I don't know what really happened here, and I have no idea whether the people using the terms "levy" and "dike" are using them properly.

[steve2470]

3. self delete nt

[jobycom]

8. Moment of humor: Jesus loses finger and thumb in hurricane

Try to forgive me for finding humor in this. I'm scared silly for my family and quite a few friends right now, and this little self-amusement helps a bit. It also gives important information on one of my favorite spots in the world.

"On historic Jackson Square in the French Quarter, two huge oak trees toppled outside the 278-year-old St. Louis Cathedral. They fell on either side of a marble statue of Jesus Christ, snapping off just a thumb and forefinger on his outstretched hand. -- Associated Press"