Hurricanes come in bands of rain. The outer bands can be pretty wet while the really bad winds are usually further in to the storm. This was the first band that came in late in the afternoon, drenching the French Quarter and catching a lot of reporters who were out on the streets by surprise.
The French Quarter is well below sea level, as is the whole city. In fact if you are standing on Rampart Street and looking towards the Mississippi River 10 blocks or so away a very effect happens. Any ship sailing up or down the river while you are standing there, will not look parallel to you but instead, will appear higher than where you are standing. When you get closer, the effect diminishes, but many a tourist are struck dumb when they see a massive tanker float by and perceive themselves to be below it.
But it reminds us that we are 15-18 feet below sea level and that even a single rain band like the one above can flood the streets. It took years for our pumping system to be upgraded after Hurricane Katrina and even now in 2020 we still often flood out on some streets while the system fights to remove the water.
No comments:
Post a Comment