I read this story almost a year ago in National Geographic. It is part fiction, part fact about the destruction of the Louisiana marshland and the potential for destruction to New Orleans from a major hurricane. Hurricane Katrina sounds like it could be just this storm. I sincerely hope not, but I thought the potential similarities are eery and worthy of a blog post.

Below is an abstract from the story:

Gone with the Water

Joel K Bourne Jr. National Geographic. Washington: Oct 2004. Vol. 206, Iss. 4; p. 89 (10 pages)

The Louisiana bayou, hardest working marsh in America, is in big trouble with dire consequences for residents, the nearby city of New Orleans, and seafood lovers everywhere.

Get a taste of what awaits you in print from this compelling excerpt.

It was a broiling August afternoon in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Big Easy, the City That Care Forgot. Those who ventured outside moved as if they were swimming in tupelo honey. Those inside paid silent homage to the man who invented air-conditioning as they watched TV "storm teams" warn of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Nothing surprising there: Hurricanes in August are as much a part of life in this town as hangovers on Ash Wednesday.

But the next day the storm gathered steam and drew a bead on the city. As the whirling maelstrom approached the coast, more than a million people evacuated to higher ground. Some 200,000 remained, however the car-less, the homeless, the aged and infirm, and those die-hard New Orleanians who look for any excuse to throw a party.

The storm hit Breton Sound with the fury of a nuclear warhead, pushing a deadly storm surge into Lake Pontchartrain. The water crept to the top of the massive berm that holds back the lake and then spilled over. Nearly 80 percent of New Orleans lies below sea level more than eight feet (two meters) below in places so the water poured in. A liquid brown wall washed over the brick ranch homes of Gentilly, over the clapboard houses of the Ninth Ward, over the white-columned porches of the Garden District, until it raced through the bars and strip joints on Bourbon Street like the pale rider of the Apocalypse. As it reached 25 feet (eight meters) over parts of the city, people climbed onto roofs to escape it.

Breaux Act Newsflash - National Geographic's October 2004 "Gone with the Water" Article Highlights Louisiana Wetlands

Full Story

I also found another story from The Times-Picayune that provides even more in depth analysis of the potential risks:

Washing Away

It's only a matter of time before South Louisiana takes a direct it from a major hurricane. Billions have been spent to protect us, but we grow more vulnerable every day.

Tags: WhisprWave®, Floating Breakwater, Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Shoreline Erosion, Beach Erosion, Hurricane New Orleans, Hurricane, Hurricane Katrina