Water rushed over levees on both sides of the Industrial Canal on Friday, threatening the 9th Ward, just drained from Katrina.
But the breaches threatened few lives, as New Orleans, from Lakeview to Uptown and from the Bywater to Mid-City, remained a vacant and scarred place, most residents waiting in exile as the second storm in less than a month bore down on Louisiana.
It was a respite interrupted by a new wave of fear. New Orleans, along with St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, took water in familiar places, clearly unprepared for a grazing by Category 3 storm aimed for the Texas-Louisiana border. About 150,000 people had been evacuated from southwest Louisiana, with about 35,000 at in-state shelters, authorities said.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Task Force Rita was staged on the edge of the storm to provide relief after the hurricane passes, with main bases in Oakdale, Ville Platte and Lafayette. Some National Guard troops would ride out the storm in affected areas to be ready immediately to provide help, she said. [Read more - NOLA]
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