New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward Flooding From Gustav's Storm Surges

September 1, 2008 12:02 p.m. EST

New Orleans, LA (AHN) - Storm surges from Hurricane Gustav have breached levees in New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward and it is flooding.

The levees that have been breached are different levees than were breached during Hurricane Katrina when the Lower Ninth Ward was also flooded, according to reports. Although the levees that broke during Katrina were repaired, the levees that broke Monday morning were not repaired because they had not been damaged before.

Before those levees broke, rain, storm surges and a broken pipe were pushing water over the top of the Industrial Canal levees, but they had not broken as of 11:30 a.m., according to CNN reports televised live.

In the meantime, some tug boats and barges have broken lose on Perry Street, but authorities are working to secure them before they can bang against levee walls and weaken them.

The wind is picking up in New Orleans and pushing quite a bit of water over the west wall of the Industrial Canal levee. However, the overtopping is not causing any major flooding in the streets in that area, according to CNN live reports.

In the meantime, Destin, Florida is under a tornado warning caused by winds from Hurricane Gustav.

Hurricane Gustav still has 110 mile per hour winds at its top, although those winds are lower at land level.