Seabed rise under Macondo Well buckling streets in New Orleans
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Seabed Rise Under Macondo Well Buckling Streets In New Orleans?
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August 3, 2010: Steven John Hibbs / The Tonka Report (TTR) – August 3, 2010

I received a rather frantic email from my contact in New Orleans yesterday, August 2, 2010, reporting that streets all over New Orleans are mysteriously cracking and buckling upwards to 15-30 inches from their original setting.

She said the local news media is claiming it’s from the “extreme” heat. She then said that the heat has not been unusual for this time of year and that in all the years she has lived in New Orleans, has never seen anything like this happen before.

Extreme Heat Buckles Dozens Of Kenner Streets

When she asked me what could possibly be causing this, I told her that there have been numerous reports of the Gulf seabed rising up to 30 feet in places. I have posted articles and commented ad nauseum concerning the methane reserve below the Gulf seabed and the possible dangers that could ensue if the seabed is in fact completely compromised…

Extreme heat buckles dozens of Kenner streets
by Scott Satchfield / Eyewitness News

wwltv.com

Posted on August 2, 2010 at 10:26 PM

KENNER, La. -- It's a common sight across the metro area these days -- busted, broken concrete rising off the ground, as streets are buckling under the searing summer heat.

Charles Walton heard a loud boom when Driftwood Boulevard buckled in front of his house in Kenner.

When he ran out to see what happened, it got worse.

"I was standing about two or three feet away, and the thing exploded a second time, and it literally shook the ground -- almost felt like an earthquake," Walton said. "It was pretty wild, it really was. It was scary. I jumped back. I kind of ran back a few feet when it happened."

Over the weekend, streets buckled across Jefferson Parish as heat indices soared well into the triple digits.

"This is the worst year I've ever seen it, since I've been with the public works department," said Jerry Dillenkoffer, director of Streets and Drainage in Kenner.

Dillenkoffer said concrete roadways, not asphalt, are most vulnerable.

Standing on a freshly buckled section of Texas Avenue, he explained how it happens.

"These panels try to expand and when they can't expand any further, they just buckle straight up in the air like I mentioned to you before. This buckle is probably 18 inches to 20 inches above the ground," Dillenkoffer said.

Back on Driftwood Boulevard, neighbors gathered to see the damage on their block. It was the fourth of five streets to buckle in Kenner on Monday, adding to dozens already this summer.

12 streets have broken apart since Friday – bringing the number to 35 for the summer.

As they keep piling up, the problem is getting costly. At a repair cost of around $20,000 for each event, Dillenkoffer estimates the damage adds up to more than a $500,000, putting a strain on Kenner's finances.

"With the revenues not there, we don't have very much money to get these street buckles done," he said.

And allowing two weeks for repairs, it can become a headache for neighbors.

"What a mess,” said Peggy Schoemann, who lives near the broken section of Texas Avenue. “I'm glad it's not in front of my house. I'm glad I have two trees to shade the street in front of my house."