Before I get to the things that make New Orleans a unique place to visit (next post), I want to note that this trip opened my eyes to just how much damage a hurricane can do. Yes, I grew up in Central Florida and I’ve seen my share of bad weather, weeks of rain, and water damage. I have. But what I saw in New Orleans (the structure and elevation of the city) was astounding to me.
“New Orleans is below sea level” — one of the many geographical facts that we’re taught as children. To know it and to see it are two different things. Driving across Lake Pontchartrain was a mental hurdle because of how close the water is to the bridge. In my head, if I leaned over the railing just right, I might have been able to touch the water. That is terrifying to me for three reasons: 1) The lake was massive (thanks Google),
2) I don’t particularly like to drive over bridges in the first place, and 3) it would only take a good day of good rain to flood the bridge. And that’s the main way in and out of the city. Now let’s talk about the city itself.
Structurally, the city is a Cheerio that is in the center of a saucer. This picture of the Mississippi River (and only bridge to cross it) shows how flat this city is. And the whole debate about the levees breaking? If you’re like me, you’d have been expecting to see tall, large wooden structures standing about twenty feet high. No. Not at all. The rounded hill at the foot of this picture is pretty much what a levee is–a slope. In truth, they were deeper/higher on the other side of the river, but on this side, that was about as high as I saw them. I’m not great at judging distance, but at most, they were four feet up from the water’s edge.
While the river poses a muted threat to the city, I’d say that rain is just as dangerous. Like Florida, it rained pretty much every afternoon for about 10-15 minutes. Unlike Florida, the city streets are not equipped to handle a substantial downpour. After just a quick summer shower, the cobblestone streets of the French Quarter were a flooded mess. Like ankle deep on the street, creeping up onto the sidewalk kind of flooded.
Terrifying. I never could’ve understood how vulnerable to water New Orleans has been/is/will continue to be until I saw it for myself. Now that those depressing observations are out of the way, let’s talk about the fun stuff.
Pretty Words and Such 