New Orleans

New Orleans, one of the more famous cases of groundwater related subsidence; due to Hurricane Katrina. Constructed on the Mississippi Delta, over the years, it had sank quite a bit before Hurricane Katrina reached its shores and easily caused water to overflow from rivers within the city. Even though the artificial levees along the rivers had high walls at the time of construction, they failed to prevent the already high levels of water in the river. Sinkholes at times suddenly appear when the land below becomes too soft and unstable to support the weight it was previously able to support before.

Currently, they are just increasing the height of the levees higher and higher. There is a need for them to properly act to prevent more future surprises that may endanger the lives of people, such as during Hurricane Katrina.

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