. ▁However , ▁sea ▁levels ▁began ▁to ▁rise ▁at ▁ab norm ally ▁rapid ▁rates ▁on ▁the ▁morning ▁of ▁September   2 9 ▁as ▁the ▁h urr icane ▁ne ared . ▁By ▁the ▁afternoon ▁hours , ▁low - lying ▁lands ▁south ▁of ▁New ▁Orleans ▁and ▁east ▁towards ▁Bay ▁St . ▁Louis , ▁Mississippi , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁areas ▁adjacent ▁to ▁Lake ▁Pont chart rain , ▁were ▁in und ated ▁by ▁the ▁quickly ▁rising ▁storm ▁sur ge . ▁Le vee ▁over to pping ▁along ▁Lake ▁Pont chart rain ▁resulted ▁in ▁the ▁flo oding ▁of ▁much ▁of ▁western ▁New ▁Orleans . ▁Part s ▁of ▁Car roll ton , ▁New ▁Orleans ▁were ▁sub mer ged ▁under ▁as ▁much ▁as ▁ 8   ft ▁( 2 . 4   m ) ▁of ▁water ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁le vee ▁failure , ▁and ▁much ▁of ▁this ▁in und ation ▁remained ▁for ▁up ▁to ▁four ▁days ▁as ▁the ▁city ' s ▁d rain age ▁system ▁slowly ▁dra ined ▁the ▁flo od w aters ; ▁in ▁other ▁locations , ▁flo od w aters ▁re ced ed ▁rapidly . ▁At ▁its ▁height , ▁the ▁sur ge ▁was ▁estimated ▁to ▁have ▁cr ested ▁between ▁ 1 5 – 2 0   ft ▁( 4 . 6 – 6 . 1   m ) ▁in ▁height , ▁setting ▁a ▁record ▁for ▁the ▁highest ▁t ide ▁reported ▁in ▁the ▁region . ▁Ocean ▁sw ells ▁to pped ▁le ve es ▁along ▁the ▁Mississippi ▁River ▁and ▁progress ed ▁well ▁up stream ; ▁at ▁the ▁confl u ence ▁of