Many new subdivisions were developed to cater to those who preferred a more suburban lifestyle but were open to remaining within the city limits of New Orleans. After 1965, the corps built a levee system around a much larger geographic footprint that included previous marshland and swamp.
The local municipalities were charged with maintenance once the projects were completed. That year, Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1965 which, among other issues, gave authority for design and construction of the flood protection in the New Orleans metropolitan area to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, subject to cost sharing principles, some of which were waived by later legislation. In 1965, heavy flooding caused by Hurricane Betsy brought concerns regarding flooding from hurricanes to the forefront. After the construction of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal in 1940, the state closed these waterways causing the town's water table to lower drastically. Navigable commercial waterways extended from the lake into the interior of the city to promote waterborne commerce. Later developments that eventually extended to nearby Lake Pontchartrain were built on fill to bring them above the average lake level. New Orleans was settled on a natural high ground along the Mississippi River. Background įlooding in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans after Hurricane Betsy in 1965. Katrina has also stimulated significant research in the academic community into urban planning, real estate finance, and economic issues in the wake of a natural disaster. It has prompted a Congressional review of the Army Corps of Engineers and the failure of portions of the federally built flood protection system which experts agree should have protected the city's inhabitants from Katrina's surge. The disaster had major implications for a large segment of the population, economy, and politics of the entire United States. Television shots frequently focused on the Superdome as a symbol of the flooding occurring in New Orleans. The Louisiana Superdome was used to house and support some of those who were unable to evacuate. Despite this, many remained in the city, mainly those who did not have access to personal vehicles or who were isolated from the dissemination of news from the local governments. The flood disaster halted oil production and refining which increased oil prices worldwide.īetween 80 and 90 percent of the residents of New Orleans were evacuated before the hurricane struck, testifying to some of the success of the evacuation measures. These breaches caused the majority of the flooding, according to a June 2007 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The major breaches included the 17th Street Canal levee, the Industrial Canal levee, and the London Avenue Canal flood wall. The famous French Quarter and Garden District escaped flooding because those areas are above sea level.
By August 31, 2005, 80% of New Orleans was flooded, with some parts under 15 feet (4.6 m) of water. The failures of levees and flood walls during Katrina are considered by experts to be the worst engineering disaster in the history of the United States. As mandated in the Flood Control Act of 1965, responsibility for the design and construction of the city's levees belongs to the United States Army Corps of Engineers and responsibility for their maintenance belongs to the Orleans Levee Board. The storm surge caused approximately 23 breaches in the drainage canal and navigational canal levees and flood walls.
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