Hurricane Ivan: New Orleans At Risk

A direct hit by a full strength Hurricane Ivan on the historic city of New Orleans could be disastrous [Cincinnati Enquirer, Sept 15, 2004].

Two years ago, a PBS documentary warned that hurricanes could drown New Orleans and that the risk was increasing every year. It also explored the reason why New Orleans was so vulnerable to flooding.

"One of America's most vibrant and productive ecological regions is slipping into the Gulf of Mexico at an alarming rate. Every year, a chunk of land nearly as big as Manhattan crumbles and washes away...The crisis in the delta could reach catastrophic levels in the next few decades, with far-reaching environmental, human, and economic consequences... The Sinking of New Orleans," NOW with Bill Moyers returns to the Mississippi River delta to examine another ominous effect of this crisis — the risk that a massive hurricane could drown New Orleans gets worse every single year."

[The source link includes transcript of the show and other related resources. This story was first posted on September 20, 2002]