New Orleans repeating deadly levee mistakes

NEW ORLEANS—Signs are emerging that history is repeating itself in the Big Easy, still healing from Katrina: People have forgotten a lesson from four decades ago and believe once again that the federal government is constructing a levee system they can prosper behind.

In a yearlong review of levee work here, The Associated Press has tracked a pattern of public misperception, political jockeying and legal fighting, along with economic and engineering miscalculations since Katrina, that threaten to make New Orleans the scene of another devastating flood.

Dozens of interviews with engineers, historians, policymakers and flood zone residents confirmed many have not learned from public policy mistakes made after Hurricane Betsy in 1965, which set the stage for Katrina; many mistakes are being repeated.

"People forget, but they cannot afford to forget," said Windell Curole, a Louisiana hurricane and levee expert. "If you believe you can't flood, that's when you increase the risk of flooding. In New Orleans, I don't think they talk about the risk."

More:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/23/new_orleans_repeating_deadly_levee_mistakes/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news



See prior threads:

McCain Wants To Announce VP On Anniversary Of Katrina? (Slinkerwink's post on DKos)
Topic started by cryingshame on Aug-19-08 03:12 PM (6 replies)
Last modified by cryingshame on Aug-20-08 12:31 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6666670

Let's give McCain an August SURPRISE birthday party!
Topic started by jenmito on Jul-29-08 11:38 AM (13 replies)
Last modified by jenmito on Jul-29-08 12:14 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6554780

Hurricane Gustav headed for New Orleans during the GOP Convention
Topic started by BluegrassDem on Aug-26-08 02:40 PM (21 replies)
Last modified by NewJeffCT on Aug-26-08 04:40 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6757957

About all the hydrological engineering blunders, and how the city was vulnerable to levy failures and flooding, and how bad things could get if the city actually flooded. He went on and on about destruction of protective wetlands south of the city, and some fundamental errors in design of the whole system. He had been a civil engineer before he went into teaching. He was also a Pearl Harbor survivor FWIW.

I graduated from high school in 1975.