Gustav image

this one says a lot about the precarious position of New Orleans in relation to Lake Pontchartrain (which opens out to the Gulf) and the Mississippi River. This officer is checking out the Industrial Canal. Yesterday afternoon during the height of Gustav's storm surge, the water in this canal peaked at 12.06' above sea level. The levee/sea wall is only built to 12.2'. That's why many people saw waves cresting over the top of this levee on the national news all day yesterday. However, it held.



I remember growing up and seeing large ships and barges on the Mississippi River in the spring. These ships would be above me, behind the levee, which tells you how much higher the river height can be compared to the land, which is at or slightly below sea level.