Lots of Water

From the Times-Picayune on how the flooding will only get worse, by Mark Schleifstein.

The catastrophic flooding that filled the bowl that is New Orleans on Monday and Tuesday will only get worse over the next few days because rainfall from Hurricane Katrina continues to flow into Lake Pontchartrain from north shore rivers and streams, and east winds and a 17.5-foot storm crest on the Pearl River block the outflow water through the Rigolets and Chef Menteur Pass.

The lake is normally 1 foot above sea level, while the city of New Orleans is an average of 6 feet below sea level. But a combination of storm surge and rainfall from Katrina have raised the lake's surface to 6 feet above sea level, or more.

All of that water moving from the lake has found several holes in the lake's banks - all pouring into New Orleans. Water that crossed St. Charles Parish in an area where the lakefront levee has not yet been completed, and that backed up from the lake in Jefferson Parish canals, is funneling into Kenner and Metairie.

Lake Pontchartrain's surface area is approximately 400,000 acres which is about 62.5 square miles, roughly half the size of the City of Philadelphia. Katrina has raised the water level five feet over the entire 62.5 square miles of the lake and it's all pouring into New Orleans which lies well below sea level. It won't stop until there's an equilibrium between the lake and the below sea level city of New Orleans.

The levees created to protect the city have burst and are now keeping the water in instead of out. They will not be patched up anytime soon, there are not enough resources.