After storms like Francine, New Orleans rushes to dry out
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Francine suddenly dropped an incredible amount of rain on New Orleans. Water rose fast in some spots. Gravity works against the sewer system. The city relies on a complex drainage system of canals and pumps to get the water out. They are necessary to get the water past levees and up into Lake Pontchartrain. A big threat is a storm that sits over the city and dumps massive amounts of rain. The system can generally remove an inch of rain in the first hour and a half-inch each hour after that.
