Government Floods City, Then Poisons Survivors

That would be the tabloid, but not entirely inaccurate, version of the New Orleans story to date.

The first half--the city being flooded by the poor design and construction of the Corps of Engineers' "flood control system", should be well-known to Americans by now, if we lived in an alternative universe. In that same universe, the unfolding scandal of the FEMA trailers would be front-page news (Instead, the Tribune Compay's new "innovation guru" is busy making front pages the place where you go to find maps).

In this universe, there's almost no coverage outside the affected area of the growing state of the scandal: the CDC announcing a five-year health study of the effects of FEMA-trailer formaldehyde on children, and its toxic-substance director in effect apologizing for the agency's lateness in realizing the scope of the problem; and the fact that CDC's own top toxicologist warned of the danger of trailer fumes, and his warnings were ignored.

The plain fact is that citizens of the United States who relied on federal assurances of safety and flood protection were misled (to put it mildly), then relied on federally provided "temporary" housing (for more than two years), only to find the interior air of those housing units seriously compromised, to the detriment of their and their children's health. If this ain't a scandal of breathtaking proportions, what is? Britney's knickers catching fire?

Comments

[Bluedog12]

Its difficult to for the "media" to see whats going on in New Orleans because when one's head is lodged in one's ass it's difficult to see much of anything. After all these are the same profiles in courage that were all on top of that whole war thing. I don't include the faux news people
in this generalization since being born with your head in your ass is considered a disability under ADA.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

It would be news if it were Kennebunkport. There would be emergency aid getting there before the TV crews. Barbara Bush would whistle a different tune then also.

[elbzee]

Sadly Harry, I'm afraid that Britney's knickers need to catch fire in New Orleans. Maybe we could get Jamie Lynn to move there to give birth? Seems it's the only way to get publicity down there to you.

[john85msy]

How come her boyfriend wasnt arrested shes 16 years old right?

[SlippingInTheDip]

her boyfriend isnt the father...

[GoodbyeKitty]

Genocide comes in many shapes and forms, some more subtle than others.

[Looplinker]

The Government sure messed up the recovery but let's be fair. The hurricane Katrina was really responsible for the flooding. If one wants to place blame then put it on the idiots long gone who decided that it was wise to build a city below sea level.
HARRY RESPONDS: You are incorrect. According to Dr. Bob Bea, who helped head an independent investigation of the flooding disaster, had not the Corps screwed up the design and construction of the levee "system", the worst New Orleans would have suffered in the Katrina event would have been (his words) "wet ankles". Check it out, the ILIT report at UC Berkeley.

[JoeKing]

Cue Harry...

[winoohno]

You want to place blame on 300 year old Frenchmen? Ridiculous!

The Army Corps of Engineers were responsible for maintaining levees & dams in and around New Orleans. They failed. They had a flawed plan, flawed/corrupted execution and THEY KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN.

Then, the U.S government ignored Hurrican Katrina while Bush was mountain biking and Condi was shoe shopping. The government and FEMA exacerbated the problem. I don't see your comments as particularly accurate or helpful. They just demean the tragedy and people's suffering.

[michiganfan]

Actually the original city, (The French Quarter) is above sea-level and was one of the few parts of the city that were NOT flooded. The parts that flooded were drained former swampland protected by levees.

Who drained those swamps and built the levees? (Hint: it wasn't the French)

[Bienville]

Some of the flooded parts are and were always ABOVE sea level. (those parts were also never swamps)
The surge came in at above 11 feet, much above in some places.
And, the French Quarter and a good deal more (totalling more than 50% of the City) are above sea level.

[SoulDrift]

Bingo!!

We have a winner.

[doctorj2u]

The hardest hit area, the Lower Ninth Ward Ward, is 2 feet above sea level. Anyway, since when is citizenship based on elevation? They certainly don't ask elevation on my tax forms. Is it on your's?

[Durango]

See, the problem isn't the "government" or government spending or where they put New Orleans.

The problem is the Army Corps of Engineers. They are a institution with a culture of corruption. And environmental devastation.

They are the worst example of pork barrel politics. Believe me, no one has less respect for the Bush Administration than I have, but the problems with the Corp go back decades before Bush took over.

I suggest reading Rising Tide The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America by John M. Barry for some insight on how the Corps has been mucking up "flood control" from the beginning.

Katrina should have been the final nail in the coffin of the Corps after a long history of institutional corruption. Not to mention wasteful spending of taxpayers dollars.

But somehow the Corporate Media have given the Corps a pass. Unbelievable really. What does it take to be disgraced in modern day America?

[Yangety]

Isn't it amazing that after all this time, there are still IDIOTS like "Looplinker" who still believe the fabricated and baseless story that "New Orleans is at fault for he flooding because they built their city below sea level"??? It's kind of like the 25% of anti-Obama Democrats who still think Obama is a practicing Muslim, or the 80% of Faux News viewers who still think that Saddam Hussein was responsibe for 9/11.

These items listed above are a prime example of how truth escapes the mainstream media so easily, and so frequently, and so repeatedly, that the less-brain-heavy folks in this great country of ours are loaded with false information upon which they base their daily lives and their votes.

When will *someone* in the MSM finally start giving the American public the straight shiznit about what happened in here New Orleans in late-August/early-September 2005?

But yeah, Britney and her psychotic panty-less self, or John Edwards haircut, or some other meaningless drivel unfortunately is what drives news programming, which is based off ratings, which determines advertising rates, whch is what most broadcasting is really all about. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just, as the classic sludge-rock band Styx said: "Foolin' yourself!" in their appropriately titled song "The Grand Illusion" -- hey, that could be the subtitle of every post that Harry makes regarding the crap that has gone down regarding the Federal "effort" here in NOLA.

[j.gold]

They keep trying to kill us.The government must really hate us down here.

[Whitehouse]

I was looking at a copy of the New York Times/Herald Tribune from the day after the Titanic sank in 1912. below the fold is a story about a storm leaving 50,000 homeless in New Orleans. The city was asking for help from the Federal Government.

[Bienville]

I believe you are suggesting that the dumb rubes of New Orleans never learn. In 1912, they were flooded by a storm, and to this day, they insist on living with obvious risks and repeated catastrophes.

That article did not say that New Orleans had any displaced persons, nor did it say that New Orleans asked for help. It also never mentioned a storm. It said that the Army was sending help to affected areas, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas (but not including, evidently, New Orleans). It also said that an officer was being sent FROM Jackson Barracks (in the Lower Ninth Ward) of New Orleans TO the flooded area in Helena, Arkansas. It seems unlikely that New Orleans could afford to assist other areas if she was flooded herself. Here is that article:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9A00E1D7133AE633A25754C0A9629C946396D6CF&oref=slogin

An article appearing on June 22, 1912 described an Army engineer's inspection of the aftermath of the Mississippi River flood of 1912. He said that the lowest (or, most downstream) levee break occurred 38 miles above (or, upstream) of New Orleans. It appears New Orleans never flooded and therefore, never needed assistance. Here is that article:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E0DE3DE113AE633A25751C2A9609C946396D6CF

The last time the River flooded New Orleans was more than 100 years ago. Since then, levees have successfully protected New Orleans many times. You see, levees can be built right: built by governmnet and built to defeat nature.

[Bienville]

I overlooked this passage in yesterday's reading of this article http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9A00E1D7133AE633A25754C0A9629C946396D6CF&oref=sloginn): "The War Department plans to buy most of the flood supplies from merchants in the flooded districts. By patronizing them at a time when their ordinary business is paralyzed the Government feels it will confer a real benefit upon the distressed communities." And this one: "The Wells Fargo Express Company today notified the Interstate Commerce Commission, in conformity with the law, that it would transport frree of charge donations of tents, supplies, money, food or clothing for the flood sufferers. This applies also to Government supplies."
Amazing how much we have advanced by the present day isn't it?
Ninety-three years ago, we were so backward that we actually thought to patronize merchants in the flooded zones, to "confer benefit upon distressed communities," with tax dollars. Today, of course, we are more enlightened; we know that only campaign donors and other cronies should benefit from disasters.
Ninety-three years ago, the interstate commerce powers of the government required a common carrier to provide free transportation to donated relief supplies destined for disaster victims, including those supplies purchased by tax dollars. Today, we know that not only should the carrier re-coup his costs for such transportation, but he is entitled to profit, as well.
I am truly proud to be an American in such an age of advancement and enlightenment! Surely, my chest will burst!

[Schallvain]

I would agree that the key phrase is: "...citizens of the United States who relied on federal assurances....", only for an opposing reason.

Anyone who puts their entire safety and well-being in the hands of any government is naive at best. The people still waiting for the government (any government) to come and give them a job, rebuild there house, or give them clothing for just a few examples, is much like an abandoned dog who will wait, until death, in a single spot for their owner to return. We are more intelligent then that. It is difficult task to rebuild but we need to get out their and help ourselves, our family, our neighbors, and our communities.

[spqesq]

Yeah, but, this article is about the first rule: do no harm. You're free to help yourself. The gov't is free to do nothing (as they've shown). But if you do anything, don't make the situation worse. Don't award a huge no-bid trailer contract to a cronie, stick a bunch of po' folk in 'em and get them all sick. Get it?

[winoohno]

Oh, how self-righteous of you to offer such a post! What about people who cannot help themselves? What about people with developmental disabilities or who had lost their job, had health problems, were bankrupt, etc.??? When a flood decimates your house/neighborhood/workplace/health care facility, etc., I think it's fair to expect some kind of compensation from either your local, state or federal government. I don't think the impoverished in New Orleans are naive, I think people that could help themselves did, but what we are talking about here -- are people that CANNOT help themselves for one reason or another, and that's when the government is supposed to step in. I am infuriated by your remarks -- comparing people to dogs...

You must be against the bailout of Bear Stearns? The government ponied up $30 billion for them. Or how about tax giveaways to the oil companies, do THEY need government help? They get some $18 billion every year!

Government doles out money for a wide variety of reasons. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was negligent in maintaining the levees on the Mississippi River. It has also been proven the FEMA botched the recovery effort to such a degree, that their agency will be synonymous with failure for at least a generation.

Get off your high horse -- I bet you would be singing a different tune if your town/city was devastated, and when FEMA came in and offered your temporary housing -- it was toxic.

[OttoMann]

Schallvain is confusing "federal assurances" with "federal handouts." For example, the assurance that something that was built to spec was actually built to spec. Or that something they said was safe is actually safe. These aren't things lay people can do on their own.

Sure, we can do some things ourselves, and help each other out, etc, but here's the point: When the gov't screws up royally, they need to be taken to task. Loudly and relentlessly.

[SoulDrift]

That assumes the foolish readers here actually recognize the ACOE was responsible for the levees by law, and still is; these fools believe the federal government shouldn't be, therefore it isn't.

One must acknowledge reality first before one can successfully navigate it.

[Bienville]

It still amazes me that people who drink chlorinated water, eat federally-inspected food, fly on airliners, drive on highways and so on can still live in the delusion that they are self-reliant and could never be harmed by a failure of government.
It further amazes me that so many people who eat refrigerated food, live in air-conditioning read by electric lights, live under dry roofs and the like will condemn those foolish New Orleanians who think they can defeat nature.
Even as we conquer the time and distance that separates posters from all over the world to have this discussion, they don't seem to recognize the conquest of nature that they live every day.

[Yat1954]

Harry,

Only 17 1/2 years to go until full recovery. I told my father before he died that the recovery would take 20 years because of the indifference of the feds, and that when it was finally complete, the city wouldn't be remotely the same. I find it amusing that if you talk to residents about this, I'm talking people whose homes were flooded, they still parrot the line that it was the fault of the state and local govts., and the Orleans Levee Board. They still don't believe they had all been dealt a losing hand the day Bush took office. It's still news to them that the Bush administration was cutting the funding put in place for the upgrade and expansion of the levee system, funding put in place by the hated Clinton administration.

Remember, these are people who still believe David Vitter should stay in the Senate. Clinton was to be hounded from our midst for lying about consensual sex, but Vitter could rail on about the president's "moral fitness" to hold office while he called his whores from his desk in the House of Representatives.

It is breathtaking to see a city with its head stuffed so far up its collective ass.

[j.gold]

You must mean Metairie not New Orleans.

I don't know what "residents" you talked to about this but all my friends here know exactly whose fault the flood was. Maybe the selection you have sampled is of your own misinformed group of friends. None of the people I know like Vitter either.

Maybe you are speaking of people from the suburb Metaire and not New Orleans. Vitter does not represent Orleans Parish, he represents Metairie and the north shore. Maybe you need to take your head out of your. . .

Vitter's congressional district

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:LA-districts-109-01.gif-01.gif

[Yat1954]

I grew up in Metairie, so I know the area, and the attitude about Vitter comes from people I know in Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard and St. Tammany. Isn't it interesting that the two politicians from Louisiana who were among the loudest voices calling for Clinton's removal were both exposed as hypocrites. At least Livingston had the guts to resign after his little dalliance came to light. Vitter just blamed the media, and basically said that he had gone to confession, so the matter was now closed!! Solicitation of prostitution is a felony, and he was lucky that the statute of limitations had run out. They still support this man, and want him to run for re-election!!

[MetryJen]

Not Metairie, either. Well, maybe Old Metairie. The rest of us know full well whose fault this was, and most of us hate Vitter, too. I personally called and wrote to demand his resignation, but needless to say, I was ignored.

[overtheedge]

Vitter is tolerated, but I think most in Metairie view him as a hypocrite. There may be plenty Republicans there, but these aren't your God-fearing, evangelical Republicans. Sex scandals just aren't a big deal these days.

Don't forget -- a great part of Metairie knows about government-caused flooding.

[SparXter]

Harry, I'm a Big Fan of your work! And it is a constant source of surprise to me that you seem to be the lone canary chirping in the Katrina bird cage. And I hope you keep it up, in spite of the discouraging events and non-events. I KNEW this would be the result of Katrina when I saw your president speaking in the floodlights about his commitment and all that other krap. I am incredulous that we allowed Katrina to wash away a huge swatch of America, and just kinda shrugged our shoulders. Of course, my credulity has been ever so taxed these past 7+ years.... Oh! The Humanity!

[OttoMann]

I think the key phrase is: "...citizens of the United States who relied on federal assurances...."

That's where we always get burned, isn't it? Public safety, whether it's environmental issues, external threats, whatever. The bottom line is, if we're paying attention and trying to learn from these endless "lessons," we should never rely on, or trust, federal assurances. The bastards need constant scrutiny, criticism, and follow up. It's in this area, now more than ever, that the media has let us all down. Because if the media organizations, with their time and money, can't (won't?) do it, how can us ordinary shmucks take this on?

I think Harry has the right approach: keep hounding the media outlets to do their real jobs, and don't reward them for their shallow, vapid coverage of non-news gossip nonsense.

[Steve]

OttoMan sez: "I think Harry has the right approach: keep hounding the media outlets to do their real jobs, and don't reward them for their shallow, vapid coverage of non-news gossip nonsense."

I agree, but I wonder whether the word is getting out in this forum.

Looking at the sidebar items on this page at this writing, I see mostly the sort of fluff more appropriate to an edition of "Extra Access Tonight" than a serious news discussion forum. We have someone on Air America (are they still around?) calling Senator Clinton a naughty name, Bill Clinton going ballistic about something, a posting about "American Idol", about Dolly Parton, some random sex scandals, and, in all, very little of substance.

It looks as if the HuffPo is rewarding the very "shallow, vapid coverage of non-news gossip nonsense" that we decry.

I suspect that if Mr Shearer wants to get the word out, he might consider another venue (besides "Le Show", of course, which is required listening in the halls of Congress and the Administration, as we all know).

[DaveMacaray]

You raise a good point, one that brings to mind Keith Olbermann's TV show. He'll do a serious story about people dying in Sudan, then follow it with a silly piece about a dumb criminal or some Hollywood bimbo embarrassing herself before entering rehab. It's as if the producers fear the audience will bail on the show if the subject matter stays serious for too long.
As for Harry's central theme (that ACE errors, rather than the hurricane, caused the flooding), I've found that people to whom I personally speak to about this actually think I've got my facts wrong---that it was Katrina's awesome power that caused it . . . that and the fact that N.O. was built "beneath sea level."
Very frustrating. No one (at least no one I talk to) buys into the ACE scenario.