As the first rain from Hurricane Rita started to fall on the New Orleans area, local officials were fearful that the new storm could cause the levees to reopen and re-flood the already devastated city.
Forecasters were estimating rainfall of between three and five inches in New Orleans and the surrounding area and many fear that the patched up levees could break again as a result of the heavy rainfall. Experts say that the temporary patches on the levees could only handle about six inches of rain and a storm surge of 10 to 12 feet. If the levees break, the city will be re-flooded and any return by residents will be further delayed.
New Orleans is presently under a tropical storm warning as Rita approaches. The storm is expected to hit land somewhere between Galveston, Texas and western Louisiana on Saturday.
'Right now, it's a wait and see and hope for the best,' said Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Mitch Frazier.
Meanwhile, evacuations in Galveston, Texas continue as Hurricane Rita approaches. Western Louisiana has also been ordered evacuated. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has ordered the evacuation of between 300,000 and 500,000 people.
'Prepare your family and prepare your house,' she warned. 'I'm urging Louisiana citizens to take this storm very seriously.'
