New Orleans Sinking Faster Than Previously Thought

And no, I'm not just talking about the reelection of Mayor Ray "Schoolbus" Nagin who will be sworn in today. That's trouble enough, but according to experts, the town is sinking into the muck at even faster rates than previously thought:

Everyone has known New Orleans is a sinking city. Now new research suggests parts of the city are sinking even faster than many scientists imagined — more than an inch a year.

That may explain some of the levee failures during Hurricane Katrina and it raises more worries about the future.

The research, reported in the journal Nature, is based on new satellite radar data for the three years before Katrina struck in 2005. The data show that some areas are sinking four or five times faster than the rest of the city. And that, experts say, can be deadly.

"My concern is the very low-lying areas," said lead author Tim Dixon, a University of Miami geophysicist. "I think those areas are death traps. I don't think those areas should be rebuilt."

The blame for this phenomenon, called subsidence, includes overdevelopment, drainage and natural seismic shifts.

That's a happy thought for this first day of what should be another busy hurricane season. One more direct shot at NOLA and there won't be anything left to rebuild.