From the NYT…
After nearly two years of work, the Army Corps of Engineers disclosed for the first time today which New Orleans neighborhoods and
blocks were the most vulnerable to flooding and which were the best
protected. The report shows that large swaths of the city are still
likely to be flooded in a major storm.If a 100-year storm were to hit today, for example, parts of the
Gentilly and Lakeview neighborhoods, in the northern part of the city,
would probably still take on at least 8 feet of water. But the report
shows that the vulnerable areas within those neighborhoods are much
smaller than they were before Hurricane Katrina, thanks to the Corps’
substantial improvements to the 350-mile levee system, the floodwalls,
pumps and gates.
BUT…
While voluminous, the report will nonetheless seem incomplete to
many in New Orleans.The Corps is not releasing the data on how the
100-year system will perform, although officials said Monday that
portion of the report would be ready within weeks. (my emphasis)This is the
information that many in New Orleans desperately want, since they know
that what they have so far is not adequate, but also might be willing
to gamble that a monster storm will not hit before 2011, when the
stronger system should be in place.