New Flood System For New Orleans Riddled With Errors

Mistakes made in New Orleans flood maps

Mistakes Made in New Orleans Flood Maps; Some Neighborhoods Thought Safe Might Be at Risk

CAIN BURDEAU
AP News

Nov 17, 2007 00:04 EST

A system of flood gates and pumps built since Hurricane Katrina to help alleviate flooding in several New Orleans neighborhoods may not be as much help as authorities first said.

The Army Corps of Engineers released flood risk maps on a block-by-block basis on June 20, but didn't include some technical data, preventing independent assessments of the accuracy of the maps.

The maps showed that the improvements made to the city canals' drainage systems would reduce flooding during a major storm by about 5.5 feet in Lakeview and nearby neighborhoods. The maps were based on a storm that has the likelihood of occurring at least once in 100 years.

But in a report released Nov. 7, Corps scientists estimated that the actual benefit the system would provide would be just 6 inches.

The discrepancy was tucked into the voluminous report's appendices, and neither the Corps nor the scientists hired to conduct the study brought the changes to the public's attention when the report was released. It wasn't until New Orleans television station WWL-TV asked an engineer involved in the assessment about the discrepancy that it became known.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2007/11/mistakes_made_in_new_orleans_f.php

I don't know how much money that will cost on top of the money wasted building this broken system.