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Draining the city - how engineers will clear New
Orleans
Published:
08/09/05
Within 24 hours of Katrina passing, about 80% of the city was underwater.
Repairing the breach:
Much
of New Orleans lies below sea level. The city has a system of canals and levees
topped with concrete floodwalls to keep water out. These are designed to withstand
a category three hurricane, but when Katrina - a category four storm - hit,
they were quickly overwhelmed and destroyed.
Repairing
the breach: Helicopters dropped huge sandbags into the breach in the
17th street canal. Earthmovers built a causeway allowing trucks to bring in
stones to strengthen the repairs.
Steel
dam: A temporary steel barrier has been built at the mouth of the canal,
sealing it off from Lake Pontchartrain.
Pumping
out: Once all breaches are sealed, pumps will start to drain floodwater
out into the lake, a process which could take 80 days.
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