Post #116407 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Fri, Sep 24, 2004 11:39 AM

Evidently only PARTS of the city are below sea level. The Mississippi River definitely isn't one of those parts. And the lowest parts are only 9 feet below sea level. The press likes to make broad generalizations (generally), to beef up the fear-factor.

Found this bit of info by Donald Bruehl, Consultant,Geologic Resources

New Orleans is a city that is very vulnerable to flooding because much of
the city is below sea level. The below sea level parts of the city must
be keep dry by constantly pumping water into the Mississippi or to the
sea, or those areas would flood from groundwater alone. Even the
portions of New Orleans that are not below sea level are a part of the
vast Mississippi flood plain. Flood plains are places where rivers flood
during normal conditions. Dam-like ridges form along the banks of rivers
on flood plains and under normal conditions keep the river in its
channel. During floods rivers flow over the tops of levees and flood the
flood plains that lie adjacent to the river channel. Man has constructed
channel walls to "beef up" the natural levees to protect the flood
plains. However, all of New Orleans and the flood plain beyond the city
is constantly threatened by flooding of the Mississippi River.

Sabu