Why isn't New Orleans under water since it's below sea level?

Question

Just wondering because i have a friend who told me she had visited New Orleans back before Katrina during Mardi Gras... and she said the feeling down there is different. She said it's like you can tell you're below sea level..but you're not actually below water.... How is that?

Answer 1

They have lots of big pumps, and levees.  

Answer 2

Actually, most of New Orleans is NOT below sea level.  Also, all of the areas that tourists visit (French Quarter, Garden District, etc.) are well above sea level.  The old parts of the city were built on high ground and did not flood during Katrina.

However, much of greater New Orleans is built on land that was once a swamp. The swamps were drained by building a wall (levee) around them and pumping out the water.  The Dutch claim land from the sea exactly the same way.  The newly-created land is protected from flooding by the levees (the Dutch call them dykes) and the city's storm drain system is designed to pump rain water "up" from lower areas.

Note that New Orleans HAS to be where it is located.  The city is the principal port on the Gulf of Mexico due to the Mississippi River and the largest or second largest US port each year (tons of cargo). It is not possible to move the river or the Gulf  and that is why people "insist" on living in New Orleans. Rebuilding the city after Katrina is not optional.

Answer 3

The same reason Amsterdam, Holland isn't under water. Dams, levees, and our insistance on living there.

Answer 4

Check this page out : http://ask.yahoo.com/20041005.html