Katrina & New Orleans
Update: Not suprisingly, WikiPedia has an evolving article covering Katrina and related topics. It is being updated regularly.
As of Sunday AM, the forecasts for Katrina striking New Orleans indicated just about the worst possible situation; a category 5 storm featuring 175MPH sustained winds slamming a huge storm surge right into the mouth of the Mississippi river.
The expected result of such an event is a breach of the levees surrounding New Orleans and a total flooding situation within the city. The folks who choose to found New Orleans in an area that is well below sea level, in the Mississippi delta flood planes, and right next to a major lake (natural? Man made?), were about as bright as your average rock. Awesome place. Stupid location.
Katrina took a slight turn and weakened overnight, sparing New Orleans a direct hit. But that didn’t end the risk for New Orleans. Once Katrina passes New Orleans, the Mississippi river system is subject to a massive inundation of water. Katrina has and will dump dozens of inches of rain throughout the incredibly huge drainage system that all flows into the Mississippi.
And it sounds like the worst case scenario has happen. Breaking news indicates that a major levee has failed. Reports indicate that water is rising as fast as an 1 inch every 5 minutes [corrected] in some parts of the city and that 80% of the city is flooded.
To put this in perspective, this site contains a cutaway view of New Orleans.
It is the lake side levee that has failed. The Red Cross is already calling Katrina the biggest recovery effort in its history.