I wish I could post a link to this.

It's late, and I didn't intend to post again tonight, but you must see this. First of all, you have to have Gogle Earth to view this, but it's free, and you can download it a google (of course), and it helps if you have broadband.

Anyway, they have now apparently updated their images of New Orleans, but not completely. I first took a look at Lakeview, and they still had pre-Katrina pictures up. But if you scroll over to the Industrial Canal levee breech, you'll see the Ninth Ward as it probably looked right after the flood receded.(If you don't know N.O. geography, you can probably get the program to go there by typing Surekote Rd.,New Orleans, LA into the "What" bar at the top of the left screen. That road passes right alongside the levee breech, and then follow the road to about Johnson St. That's the approximate location of the breech. Or type in Almonaster Blvd.into the "What" bar. That's apparently the margin of the flood area. Then scroll around the neighborhood, and zoom in.

My God! It's horrible. You can see the mud on the streets, houses askew, bumped around, apparently having floated into one another. The barge that landed on Roman St. Six blocks or more just wiped clean. Houses moved off their foundations 20 blocks away from the levee. Then if you have the stomach for it, follow Claiborne as it turns into Judge Perez drive down into Chalmette. Have a look at that whole town, covered in mud and oil. I used to work at Andrew Jackson High. Take a look at the roof on that school.

If you have friends who can't see the damage in New Orleans in person, please ask them to look at the Ninth Ward and Chalmette on Google Earth. It may bring home to them just how monumental a job New Orleans has to face.

P.S. If anyone knows how to view these pictures without Google Earth, please let me know. The country has to see this.