Reply #18: we do not even know how bad the ruptures are. the science is simple. [View All]

The levees are broken. not repairable, but seriously broken. First, let's simply talk about the ruptures:

The minimum size is 400 yrds. 4 football fields. Erosion, destruction and damage on the "dry" side is guaranteed to be extensive and invisible for now. A few sandbags won't fix anything. Second, the damage and weakening on the inside of the levees is known to be extreme. Every engineer, every prediction and every computer model tells the same story.

The most liberal, least conservative estimates, from those wearing rose-colored glasses are talking about at LEAST a month before they can remove all of the water. Many of the huge pumps used in NO are 100+ yrs old, and once submerged, they fail. They are now underwater. They do not work underwater. They will freeze up (past experiences) and they will fail (past experiences). Under the best circumstances, if every pump worked, it would take a month to remove all the water. Assuming that they had power. Which they do not. And that assumes a dry rainy season. Fat Tuesday of a chance of that.

The very substructure of the land is being changed radically due to 20 feet of water saturating the land. It's very weight and pressure has broken gas lines, sewer lines, water lines, electrical lines, phone lines, optic lines, and worse, it has attacked and eroded the very roads and building foundations to the core.

Even if, by magic, the water disappears tomorrow, you will not have habitable land for months. I am not making this up; this is fact, not guesswork. The residences are now uninhabitable. The water has weakened the foundations and structures so much that they will have to be razed and rebuilt. Not a few buildings, EVERY BUILDING.

Even the hotels and highrises, business sky scrapers and more, these that may be on bedrock, are also dead. These have suffered severe structural damage. all electrical, all phone, all everything is dead.

At the same time, there are new storms forming - this is the wettest season in a wet year in the beginning of a record hurricane season and decade. the chances that more rain won't fall in huge amounts is zip. Check the history - and remember that each drop must be removed by pumps which no longer work.

No offense, but it sounds like you turn on a tap and expect clean water to come out. The infrastructure to get that clean water to your cup is huge. All that is dead. Gone. damaged beyond repair.