NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- The swirling outer reaches of Hurricane Rita sent water rushing Saturday over New Orleans' makeshift, post-Katrina dikes.
The latest onslaught brought more flooding to the low-lying urban neighborhoods. However, those areas were virtual ghost towns after Katrina chased away most residents and ruined most property, the Washington Post said.
Higher storm surges were possible after landfall, meaning more flooding.
"This was the one we were all watching," Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, told The Washington Post. Caldwell was watching helplessly while Industrial Canal water sloshed over the recent levee repairs.
"If the regular floodwalls were in place, they wouldn't have a problem," said G. Paul Kemp, an oceanographer at Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center. "But the temporary levees were basically gravel. They didn't have a chance."
