In the chaos of the moment a week ago, this story in the Bee from last Wednesday kind of slipped by, but it is important to realize that our Parkway, let alone our homes, businesses and much of Sacramento is less protected from flooding than New Orleans was...
New Orleans flooding 'wake-up call' for capital
The levee failures are reminders of the vulnerability faced by Sacramento.
By Matt Weiser -- Bee Staff WriterPublished 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Hurricane Katrina seems far removed from Sacramento, but levee failures in New Orleans, one day after the storm, are a chilling reminder that the two cities have a lot in common.
At least two levees protecting historic New Orleans failed Tuesday morning, weakened by Katrina's storm surge. The city flooded up to 20 feet deep in places, submerging the fabled French Quarter, forcing evacuation of hospitals, and creating a nightmare of water contamination and broken utilities.
The consequences, in economic and human terms, are impossible to measure.
But one fact bears mentioning: New Orleans had better flood protection than Sacramento, and still it was overwhelmed.
For the rest of the story: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/13498322p-14338923c.html
