Officials in New Orleans say heavy rainfall overwhelmed the city's pump stations. And even though U.S. taxpayers have spent nearly $15 billion rebuilding the city’s flood protections since 2005, few here are confident the fixes can keep the city dry for long. Instead, parts of New Orleans were underwater because the city’s hundreds of miles of drains and pumps couldn’t bail rainwater fast enough. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said Tuesday evening that he would push to fire Becker and the water board’s communications director. Before Katrina, many people in New Orleans feared rain more than they did the ocean.

Source: Washington Post August 09, 2017 23:03 UTC