Draining the billions of gallons of water that have inundated New Orleans could take three to six months, substantially longer than some experts have expected, the Army Corps of Engineers said late Wednesday.
Col. Richard Wagenaar, the corps' senior official in New Orleans, said that the estimate was based on planning done as Hurricane Katrina approached and that it remained the corps' best estimate. He is directing the agency's recovery efforts.
The estimate depends on favorable weather. Additional rain or other problems could cause more delays, Wagenaar warned.
"There is a lot of water here," he said. "The news cameras do not do it justice. And I'm worried the worst is yet to come."
Public officials, meanwhile, were furious over the corps' delays. Mayor C. Ray Nagin blistered officials on television for what he called their inaction. Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco scowled in irritation, saying, "I'm extremely upset about it."
Walter Baumy, a chief engineer, said that the corps was confronted by riverbeds clogged with loose barges and debris and that it could not find contractors able to maneuver heavy equipment into the flood zone. Blanco acknowledged that officials were also struggling with faulty communication. After a disheartening aerial tour of the flooded city, Blanco said she was able to reach White House officials on a satellite phone but could not connect with Army and other officials in nearby Baton Rouge.
"Part of our problem is we're not getting information delivered quickly enough," she said.
Wagenaar said the evaluations Wednesday were sobering, leading him to believe that city officials' horrific death estimates given could be accurate.
The water is 30 feet deep or more in some parts of the city, covering homes. In the city's 9th Ward, homes have shifted and floated away, leaving nothing that resembled the city grid before the storm, Wagenaar said after a helicopter tour.
New Orleans' lakes and rivers are bordered by a system of earthen levees, concrete seawalls and steel doors that are supposed to protect homes and businesses during heavy rains or hurricanes.
The city's 22 pumping stations are not operating, and most are underwater. Not until the city naturally drains a little can the corps begin restoring pumping capacity, Wagenaar said.
