Edward P Richards - Photography

Hurricane Katrina Photo Index

Lakeview is the New Orleans neighborhood bounded on one side by the 17th Street Canal. The canal is part of the flood control system and drains into Lake Pontchartrain, which is the northern border of this neighborhood. The canal is bounded by levees, since the land in the neighborhood is several feet below sea level. Any rain or other water that collects in New Orleans must be pumped out. The pumps empty into the canals, which then carry the water to the Lake. Lake Pontchartrain is an almost totally enclosed bay of the Gulf of Mexico, so it is in direct connection with the Gulf. Hurricanes can push water into the Lake, which raises the water level, which in turn raises the level of the water in the canal. During calm weather, the water in the canal is several feet above the street level in Lakeview, so any break in the levee can result in catastrophic flooding. During Katrina, the levee failed, and a river of water flooded in, carrying lake mud, and filling the houses several feet deep. Those close to the break were destroyed by the pressure of the water. The streets in these photos have been cleared to allow traffic. They were covered in deep mud by the storm.

This is a view of the houses that backed up directly on the levee break		This view shows the mud that washed in from the lake before it was cleaned from the roads and washed away with subsequent rains.
The torrent of water from the the 17th Street levee break undermined this house. The water entering the side windows pushed out the front wall.		The house across the street from the above house.
This shows the extent of the disruption by the water.		A house searched for missing cats.
An example of mud washed into a house, and tree broken by the wind and water.		One of the vehicles abandoned in the neighborhood.
Falling trees caused significant damage in all neighborhoods.

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Edward P. Richards, III, JD, MPH
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