Joint Task Force Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain

Rita waters flood New Orleans

By Andy Sullivan NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Fast-rising water brought by the outer edge of Hurricane Rita spilled over a freshly patched levee in New Orleans on Friday and flooded a deserted neighborhood of the already devastated city.

Water had begun to seep under the weakened levee late on Thursday, but officials said they did not expect flooding on such a scale so soon.

"It's frustrating, but there ain't nothing you can do about Mother Nature," said Henry Rodriguez, president of nearby St. Bernard Parish, also heavily hit by Katrina on August 29.

He said he had driven through the area and saw floodwaters reaching 10 blocks from the levee.

"We were hoping this wouldn't happen, but with Rita knocking at our door, we're stuck with this," said Mark Heimann, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Read on Reuters...

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