Topic starter
09/05/2011 11:28 pm
Greetings From New Orleans & The Bonnet Carre Spillway !
Today , Monday , May 9 , the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers commenced the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway !
Also , today the Coast Guard's , Vessel Traffic Service has reported to all mariners that the New Orleans , Carrollton , River Gage has reached and exceeded 16.5 feet and is is anticiapted to rise at least another three feet !
Therefore , that is why the Corps has started opeing the spillway and so far twenty -eight bays have been opened and more are expected to be opened as time goes by !
The Corps Of Engineers also placed a " Picket Boat " , the M/V Kent at the lower end of the spillway to both monitor traffic and to assist if necessary if a vessel gets literally pulled into the out draft of the spillway !
Today , I am on a north bound light bulker and was able to get a few shots of this " Media Event " and it appears that this is just another way that the good folks of New Orleans look forward to having a festival for any excuse whatsoever ! From what I could see there were hundreds of cars with famileys with children and was covered from the air by helicopters as well !
There are still a number of unanswered questions concerning the spillway as to how many more bays will be opened and for that matter how long ??
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
NOBRA 70
10/05/2011 12:45 am
At last, we are beginning to get some decent national coverage on the history of the spillways. One of the networks had a brief segment of John Barry tonight. It's good to see that, so far, the levees are holding, and the system is working as designed. That's no help to those currently flooded, but every one of us faces some risk, no matter where we live: tornado risk in the heartland, hurricanes near the ocean, earthquake just about everywhere. Let's keep our fingers crossed--and say lots of prayers--that the levees continue to hold as the crest moves downriver.
Thanks for the updates!