How Katrina Flooded New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina made landfall over southeast Louisiana and Mississippi on August 29 2005. The result of the hurricane on the city of New Orleans was devastating. Floodwalls and levees failed to hold back the resulting storm surges and 80% of the city ended up being flooded.

Dan Swenson has created a story map exploring how the city of New Orleans was inundated. Filling the Bowl - How the New Orleans Area Flooded During Hurricane Katrina provides a chronological overview of the major events on Monday August 29th. As you progress through the timeline the map shows how the tides and storm surges breeched the levees and floodwalls which were meant to protect the city. By September 1 some neighborhoods in the city were submerged in over 10 feet of water.

The map is based on a number of post-hurricane reports and eye witness accounts. You can view more of Dan Swenson's maps and interactive visualizations produced for NOLA.com and The Times-Picayune here.