Paul at Wizbang has a detailed post about some interesting revelations relating to the levee breaches in New Orleans last Fall (with lots of pictures).

Bottom line, according to Paul:

New Orleans was doomed with or without Katrina, we just didn’t know it.

He says, “A good high tide puts more water in the canal than this. As the video shows, the water was barely higher than normal levels. The walls could have failed on a decent high tide.”

So what does this mean?

That levee was doomed. If it had failed without notice, the death toll would have been measured in tens of thousands. There would be no evacuation, no preparation, no Feds at all. (such that they were anyway) no Coast Guard in choppers etc. Tens of thousands of people would have been dead in hours and tens of thousands more would have died on 120 degree rooftops waiting for rescue. It would have been unimaginable. - More unimaginable.

“Luckily” -and I groan when I say that- Katrina allowed the city to be evacuated.

Read the rest…