London Avenue Canal

The London Avenue Canal is a canal in New Orleans, Louisiana.

A pair of levee breeches along the Canal during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 flooded a good portion of the city. The upper breech was just in from Robert E. Lee Boulevard; the lower breech was a block out from Mirabeau Avenue.

View of the Canal from the Mirabeau Bridge looking River wards; skyscrapers of New Orleans Central Business District visible in distance.
London Avenue Canal; view from Robert E. Lee Bridge looking riverwards, 19 October 2005. Intact concrete flood wall atop levee visible at right. At left, the incompletely repaired upper breech visible.
Intact exterior levee topped by floodwall.
Section of intact interior wall, near Mirabeau Avenue

The Upper breech[edit]

Army Corps Engineer examines the breech from new rock fill during early stages of filling the breech in September, 2005.
London Avenue Canal Upper Breech, incompletely repaired, 19 October 2005.
The breech stretches between two pieces of intact concrete floodwall at either end. View from atop the temporary breech fill levee, 5 November.
View from atop temporary breech fill, 5 November 2005, with portion of broken concrete floodwall visible at center.
Broken pieces of floodwall in breech fill

Flood damage near the Canal's upper breech[edit]

Houses on Pratt, with their back yards abutting the breech of the London Avenue Canal. Note silt deposited by breech.
House carport on Pratt near the breech
Houses on Pratt with silt and still flowing water, 5 November; breech fill visible in background
View of houses whose backyards abutted the canal from atop the temporary breech fill
House on Pratt near the breech with flood damage and silt deposits
Downtown river corner of Charlotte & Robert E. Lee, slightly over a block from the breech. Formerly flooded house with ruined possesessions piled out front flys USA flag. High water level still clearly visible on the stop sign.
Garage with graffiti "Make Levees, Not War" on flooded house some 1 & 1/2 blocks from London Avenue Canal breech. Note high water lines.
Flooded home just off Canal levee a ways from the breech. Note high water line just below roof, and darker line of long standing water midway up side of house.

Lower Breech[edit]

Corner of Wilton & Warrington, near the lower breech. Homes devastated by flood waters, and water still seeping from breech in street in early November, despite efforts of the Army Corps of Engineers.
A row of sandbags fails to stop water seeping from the levee breech fill
Tipped buildings and levee repair materials near the breech
Section of lower breech in London Avenue Canal near Mirabeau Avenue, as incompletely patched by Army Corps of Engineers, 9 November 2005.
London Avenue Canal looking towards Mirabeau Avenue Bridge from the lake side. Lower breech to the left; intact flood wall to right.
View from Mirabeau Bridge looking lakewards, showing breech with temporary fill.