Honest question regarding the levee breach

[Free4Life11]

This is just an honest question, I'm not arguing or placing blame. Just asking a question. Here is a copy of a post I made on the original (or one of the first) Hurricane Katrina thread:

08-29-2005, 08:54 AM #1020
Free4Life11

Did a little research...it looks like the strip of water that runs diagonal through the following map is the industrial canal. Tennessee St. is a few blocks from it.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Tenne...969668,-90.021329&spn=0.017588,0.040525&hl=en

According to WWLTV.com: "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.

Now if you look at page 6 the following satelite images, the levee breach is pretty much the same map I posted.

http://www.digitalglobe.com/images/katrina/Hurricane_Katrina-New_Orleans.pdf

I just don't understand this idea that nobody knew about the levees...I mean the reports came out literally a few hours after Katrina made landfall.

Was it just not taken seriously? I mean it only says 3-8 feet but it just seems logical to assume that if a levee is breached...it could and most likely would get worse. Of course everything sounds much more simple in hindsight, I guess I just don't get it.

(Bear with me I am studying accounting and am a ridiculously anal person, so I like everything to be documented and cited and logical, so don't take it as if I'm trying to sound like an expert, this is just my personality...lol yada yada)

 

[Boo Boo]

I just don't understand this idea that nobody knew about the levees...I mean the reports came out literally a few hours after Katrina made landfall.

Are you saying they didn't know it WOULD happen (i.e., before the hurricane), or they didn't know it DID happen (when it finally did)?

And by "they" do you mean officials or the people living in the city?

 

[Boo Boo]

I just don't understand this idea that nobody knew about the levees...I mean the reports came out literally a few hours after Katrina made landfall.

Are you saying they didn't know it WOULD happen (i.e., before the hurricane), or they didn't know it DID happen (when it finally did)?

And by "they" do you mean officials or the people living in the city?

 

[Free4Life11]

Are you saying they didn't know it WOULD happen (i.e., before the hurricane), or they didn't know it DID happen (when it finally did)?

And by "they" do you mean officials or the people living in the city?

Both questions.

Officials as in local, state, and federal. Did anyone know?? (Other than those of us who visitied WLLTV which by the way was amazing -- they were such a resource while this was happening, we had no idea what was happening yet their live feeds provided so much info.)

 

[Free4Life11]

Wait a second...I just head on the rerun of Meet the Press, Michael Chertoff saying that the levee DIDN'T break on Monday. Was WLLTV wrong? If mean the map I posted matches the satelite image so I am starting to get REALLY confused.

 

[totalia]

Its pretty sad if they didn't know. A huge failure if they didn't. We all knew that it was possible before the hurricane hit (given that the levees were meant for a cat 3 not a cat 4 and they were in disrepair from lack of funds) and we saw it when it happened. when it happened. If the news reporters knew, how couldn't the gvt?

 

[Boo Boo]

Officials and citizens knew it would happen. I grew up there, and they pound it into your head if you ever watch the news or read a paper. Trust me, I was called a doom-sayer by more than one Floridian before the storm.

That it DID happen -- Are they saying the officials didn't know? That wouldn't surprise me, since any type of monitors (if they even exist) probably wouldn't be working by that time, and I sure as heck wouldn't expect them to be out there walking the levee or doing an aerial survey. Are you saying the reporters knew? Is that true? I was stuck watching local (here) NBC coverage, and they were saying that local (NOLA) affiliates evacuated.

I think they said on Meet the Press that the canal floodwalls failed, not the levees. Now THAT was an eye-opener to me. They showed a failed canal floodwall that was only 2 feet thick with no buttresses. I mean, who can't look at that and know you've got to at least pile some land up against that? Did I see that picture correctly or am I missing something?

I am asking because I've gotten very spotty information throughout the ordeal. I'm not challenging anyone.

 

[Free4Life11]

Are you saying the reporters knew? Is that true? I was stuck watching local (here) NBC coverage, and they were saying that local (NOLA) affiliates evacuated.

All I know is that the WWLTV website reported that the levee had been breached and from the satelite images, that report was obviously true. How they found out? I have no idea. All I know is what I read on the website, but aside from that I don't know much more.

 

[Planogirl]

WWLTV seemed to be closer to the actual events of the city than anyone else. Of course locals post there too so that's not surprising.

It's sad though if government officials had no idea while so many others did. There's just way too many breakdowns in communication!