New Orleans, Aug 31 2005. image courtesy Digital Globe

The city of New Orleans lies largely below sea level -- a fact now quite evident following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of two levees holding back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain. How did the levee system around New Orleans come to be? Can it be improved to prevent the city from becoming flooded in a future storm? We'll look at the history -- and future -- of the levees around New Orleans. 

Plus,  from West Nile virus, to cholera, to fire ants, what are the public health risks in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? In this hour of Science Friday, join host Ira Flatow and guests for an update on the storm's devastating effects. We'll talk to reporters and citizens of New Orleans, as well as experts on the engineering and ecology of the region. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Ivor van Heerden     
Director, Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes
Deputy Director, LSU Hurricane Center
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

John H. Pardue      
Elizabeth Howell Stewart Professor
Director, Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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Craig Colten    
Author, "An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature," (LSU Press, 2004 )
Professor, Geography
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Books/Articles Discussed:

"An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature," by Craig Colten. LSU Press, 2004.

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

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This segment produced by Annette Heist