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A levee failure during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. A breach in a dike during the North Sea flood of 1953.. A levee breach or levee failure (also known as dyke breach or dyke failure) is a situation where a levee (or dyke) fails or is intentionally breached, causing the previously contained water to flood the land behind the levee.
The primary mechanism of failure for levees protecting eastern New Orleans was the existence of sand in 10% of places instead of thick Louisiana clay. The primary mechanism of failure for the levees protecting St. Bernard Parish was overtopping due to negligent maintenance [ 26 ] of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a navigation channel, built ...
The documentary is based on news video footage and still photos of Katrina and its aftermath, interspersed with interviews. Interviewees include politicians, journalists, historians, engineers, and many residents of various parts of New Orleans and the surrounding areas, who give first hand accounts of their experiences with the levee failures ...
The breach at the 17th Street Canal Levee, a levee-floodwall combination, was found to be about 300 feet (100 m) long. The Corps began operating on an initial hypothesis that the force of the water overtopped the floodwall and scoured the structure from behind and then moved the levee wall horizontally about 20 feet (6.1 m).
The side of a levee in Sacramento, California. A levee (/ ˈ l ɛ v i / or / ˈ l ɛ v eɪ /), [a] [1] dike (American English), dyke (British English; see spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural or artificial, alongside the banks of a river, often intended to protect against flooding of the area adjoining the river.
Faulty design and substandard construction have been cited in the failure of levees following Hurricane Katrina. [6] Reforming the Corps' approach has been advocated by U.S. Senators Russ Feingold and John McCain. [7] Holding the Corps accountable has also been championed by the group Levees.org, led by Sandy Rosenthal. [8]
In November 2007, Levees.Org posted a spoof [18] on YouTube satirizing what it believed was an overly cozy relationship between the Army Corps of Engineers and the members of the ASCE's ERP. The video depicted money changing hands in an overstuffed brief case and ERP members covered with bling.
The levee failure contributed to extensive flooding in the New Orleans area and surrounding parishes. About 80% of all structures in Orleans Parish sustained water damage . Over 204,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and more than 800,000 citizens displaced —the greatest displacement in the United States since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. [ 1 ]