New Orleans Pumped Out, Army Says

The Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday that it had finished pumping out the New Orleans metropolitan area, which was flooded by Hurricane Katrina six weeks ago and then swamped again by Hurricane Rita.

“Of course there will be a little puddle here and there, but as far as accessibility goes, everything is pumped out,” spokeswoman Lauren Solis said.

The initial flooding during Katrina was caused by water surging over some levees and breaking through others. At one point, 80% of New Orleans was under water. Much of the city had been pumped out when Rita pushed more water over the levees.

Solis said temporary repairs to the levees along the 17th Street and London Avenue canals were nearly completed.

Another task force has begun rebuilding the levees to their pre-Katrina condition. That work is scheduled to be finished by the time of the next hurricane season in 2006.