Day 12 AM Update: Maps, Pictures, Downtown, Water Percentages, NPR Interview

Maps: Check out the depth of flooding on your street with this Google Maps mod. As some neighborhoods are unrecognizable, the best use of this map is to locate the intersection in the Map window and then to switch to Katrina satellite mode. Once there, click on the specific location and a box will pop up with two pieces of information: maximum flood level and current water level. Keep checking.

As a test, I tried a friend’s home in Mid-City. What previously looked like flooding to the second floor was a max of 3.4 feet which by now has receded to 1.7 feet. Of course, even a foot of standing water in one’s home constitutes irrecoverable – after water removal, the mold, rot and overall foundation weakening take over. Gah.

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Pictures: Kavita’s friend, Tully, took these great pictures of Uptown before, during and after Katrina. Once the levees broke, she left town for Baton Rouge.

Four guys from Memphis drove down to Mississippi (with guns and chainsaws!) to help clear downed trees and clean up the remains of several buildings on the Gulf Coast.

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Downtown Safety: From Interdictor – “Many buildings appear to have well-armed private security forces around them. One Shell Square, for instance, has several guys patrolling around the clock. Bell South does too. These guys look a lot more professional than the Federal Police Force around the Boggs building – professional in the sense that even though they’re just as well armed, they’re not interested in bullying and intimidating anyone.”

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Water Levels: The water is going down.

A couple of days ago, CNN TV reported that 60% of New Orleans is underwater. Today, they report that 40% of New Orleans is above water. Sigh.