Why Not Trust The Corps? They're "Scrambling"

This July was good to New Orleans. No major storms nearby, and a wealth of visitors packing the streets, clubs, restaurants. The Essence Music Festival, the big cocktail convention (seriously), then an international classical piano competition (ditto), and the SCLC's national convention--compared to last July, when the streets were empty, the resettled part of the city was thriving and virbrant.

August brings a different mood. In Friday's Times-Picayune, we learn that the Army Corps of Engineers is now scrambling--the paper's word--to reinforce a crucial floodwall abutting a neighborhood that suffered disastrous flooding three years ago. Apparently, the Corps--which "concluded" on its own that Congress hadn't authorized it to build a new, stronger, more deeply anchored floodwall before completing so-called 100-year flood protection in 2011--has realized the floodwall is far more vulnerable than it had thought.

More disturbing is the fact that the problem is the elevation figures the Corps used, right after Katrina, in calculating what was needed to strengthen the existing wall. They were "culled" from the original floodwall design plans. It's been well established by the independent forensic investigations into the Katrina disaster that the Corps had a bad habit of using old, outdated elevation figures in the original design of the failed structures. So why "cull" those after the disaster proved them so disastrously wrong?

Combined with the continued reports of water leaking and puddling in backyards on the supposedly protected side of the 17th St. Canal--reports the Corps is still scrambling (my word) to explain--New Orleans is once again forced to ask: is this the best America can do?

Comments

[Stuart]

Americans should realize that not every part of the flood control system around New Orleans failed (or was "overwhelmed", as the Corps tries to spin it) in August 2005.

Parts of the system did work both then and now -- "now" being the recent flood stages that passed New Orleans without incident, with no calls to "abandon New Orleans". The difference this time was that the levees and spillways worked as expected. If a weeks-long river surge could be contained without trouble, how is it that the Corps could not contain a hurricane storm surge lasting just a few hours?

When other Federal agencies have wrought such failures, they have faced at least a modicum of responsibility. The mortgage crisis prompted Congress and even our hands-off President to move toward new oversight of Fannie and Freddie. NASA's accidents were dissected by independent commissions. Even Bill Clinton’s fun with Monica got its own independent counsel.

Somehow the Corps has enjoyed a Teflon-like immunity from this kind of scrutiny. The only continuous pressure on the Corps has come from a couple of independent academics, volunteer grassroots organizations, and a satirist blogging on Huffpost.

Einstein said, “insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” In the past, we have known enough to conduct independent investigations, such as the Rogers Commission, the CAIB, the Warren Commission , the 9/11 Commission—the list goes on. So why don’t we have an“8/29 Commission”?

[MeanGreenMachine]

The job should be contracted to those with a proven track record: THE DUTCH!

While we're at it let's build tidal power plants there; seems like a perfect opportunity.

[MeanGreenMachine]

Barrage Tidal Power

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_power#Barrage_tidal_power

[customgreen]

The only real way to beat this problem is to rise above it. No canals, breakwaters, or levees will stop mother nature. If you have a low spot where water collects, you simply backfill and raise the level of the area. Water seeks the lowest point, so make the neighborhood the highest point. It's to late now, but it would have probably been less expensive and less time consuming to simply raise the low areas. There could have been new neighborhoods, and forward thinking politicians could have found a way to get people low or no interest loans to rebuild. No one wants to see people forced out of their homes, and homesteads, but when everything is gone, start with everything new.

[buggedabouttheus]

Dear Stuart,

You have touch on exactly my initial point. Why can't the Corps do their jobs?

[dadw5boys]

With their budget cuts by over 40% since the 2000 election and the cost of the work they do and need to do doubling every 15 years they can hardly keep up with so few funds.

To get the most bang for the buck not spending money to update things like elevation make sense.

Restoring them to orginal levels makes sense because they know New Orleans like Houston are sinking. So bringing wall up to orgianal levels would make sure the cities are protected. But the deeper the cities sink the deeper the walls must be sunk around the cities to make them stable.

[rextrek]

Harry don't you realize...­Katrina was sooo...yrs ago....all attention is on the NEW President (fingers crossed it's OBAMA 08) otherwise look for more of the same from GOP leadership­...Plenty of Money for WAR $$$$..noth­ing for this Nations People,Inf­rustructur­e...Health Care etc....it will be every person for themselves­....Im thoroughly disgusted.­.and IF I could, I'd get the Hell outa' of America IF McCain wins.

[RobHunt]

"New Orleans is once again forced to ask: is this the best America can do?"

You are right. Half-measures taken to keep the ocean from flooding a coastal area situated BELOW sea-level won't work. The problem is, STRONGER measures won't protect New Orleans either.

That entire region should be CONDEMNED. People shouldn't BUILD cities along storm coasts that are below sea level, and if they do, they shouldn't expect to be bailed out by taxpayers who DIDN'T build in such precarious places.

You act as if New Orleans is the only place in the US in need of investment in its infrastructure. That is simply not the case. We can't afford to keep spending good money after bad in a losing battle against the forces of nature. Let's admit defeat in New Orleans and spend that money on the REST of our roads and bridges. YOU want to "save" New Orleans? Do it with YOUR money.

[marignymitch]

Why so angry?

[azureblue]

Oh gawd, not this crap again...

OK let me explain something to you: Bush caused the flooding of New Orleans. He cut, not once, but three times, the ACOE budget so badly that not only did it end a plan to rebuild the levees, but stopped work in progress on- guess where- the very levees that failed. All so Bush could give a tax break to the top1% tax bracket. IOW, Bush broke it, Bush fixes it.

And you trot out the Republican talking point of "New Orleans is in a bad location". Then explain why Bush ran to Florida and personally handed out water when a hurricane hit FL? Oh yeah- because it was his brother who needed the votes. And, by your logic, then the entire state of FL should be evacuated, and CA- earthquakes, OK- tornadoes, the Northeast- too cold and they need oil to stay warm, MS- tornadoes and floods, VA and NC- hurricanes, NYC is built on a fault line, etc.

I wish the Republican trolls would give up trying to cover for their boy Bush, trying to cover up his stupidity that costs lives and destroys cities...

[Dynamohum]

Pardon there uh.....hav­e you considered that some might say the same of oh, say the tornadoes that plague Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Texas,Idah­o,Indiana,­etc. Then there have been the floods in the midwest, which have displaced some permanently and some temporarily. Then there have been wildfires in the West destroying ecosystems, forests, homes, national parks most of which are considered State of emergency, That is on top of the failing roads, infastructure, schools, water systems, etc.

Here's a thought instead of so much anger and resentment do something to help someone in any area of the country. Remember that it is really protecting our own and those with the least among us. Government should play a role in that as well. Fed,state,local.

By the way most of Holland, is way below sea level and they have levees and flood walls that would stand any catastrophe because the whole country had to to survive and thrive. So it is not impossible and can be done. Fairly easily with an investment by government that is not corrupt like the affairs that are occurring in respect to New Orleans.

[sethrp]

Flagged as abusive, aside from being just plain dumb. I'm thinking of words that John McCain would use, but thankfully I'm slightly more evolved. Over half of New Orleans is above sea level. If the measures that the federal government had guaranteed had been in place - a flood control system that held up to a Category 3 storm (which Katrina was NOT when it made landfall as a strong Cat 1) - even the Corps admits the worst of Katrina's impact in New Orleans would've been damaged roofs and wet ankles.

"People shouldn't BUILD cities along storm coasts that are below sea level." So, um, ports shouldn't exist? Are you truly that thick? Liken the situation to a vital organ, a kidney. Your body needs at least one or two of them. America ignored this particular kidney's health for too long - too much sodium, not enough liquids - imagine we even got to design this kidney when we were born, and even our design for the thing was faulty. A kidney failure in 2005 caused way more damage to the organ than a healthier kidney should've received. The view of most rational people with an idea of the bigger picture would be to enrich and make that kidney healthy - being the vital part of the greater whole that it is.

[RobHunt]

Help me out Seth. Point out the part of my post you thought was "abusive." I DISAGREE with Harry Shearer and I disagree with you - that's abuse? Get a skin. The whole POINT of public discourse is that issues are examined from different perspectives. You want one-party rule? Move to Russia or San Francisco.

And which American port OTHER than New Orleans is situated below sea-level? It seems fairly obvious that the vast majority of ports are found AT sea-level - not in the mountains and not in Death Valley.

What percentage of the federal budget for infrastructure should go toward ensuring that New Orleans stays dry? No doubt we COULD do it. The question is SHOULD we?

[sethrp]

Part two:

Your view is that the organ should be allowed to fester and rot, and infect other systems. You literally wish for your country to die from within, and your infectious attitude pollutes the heart of this country by its mere existence. This is not the United States of Whoever You Care About (in your case a nation of one).

Do some research. It won't take a crippling amount of money to restore Louisiana's wetlands, bring its levee system to where it should have been (was promised to be), and ensure that one of America's largest ports remains viable. Submitting to inaction would abet our further degradation and your vile disregard for your fellow participants in this experiment in democracy. Someday I may have to spare a dime of MY tax money to patch whatever disgusting blackhole of Wal-Marts and megachurches YOU stink up with your presence - but I take that risk because we are all Americans and deserve protection regardless of how crappy a person you are. I just hope when an average-sized natural disaster makes mincemeat of a bridge in Crapburgh, population You, that you and the blinders you've put on go down with it.

[andvoodoo2]

Is this part of the master plan?
If the levees fail in New Orleans again, we will probably recieve even less federal aid to rebuild. The locals would probably struggle to rebuild, but I know people who are still waiting for Road Home money and/or insurance money almost 3 years later. The older residents will have to give up. They, like my parents did after Katrina, will say they are too old to rebuild and move elsewhere.
I don't know what, if anything, could be gained from the destruction of New Orleans. But, I often get the impression that there are those who would love to seize this city and scatter its residents to the far corners of the country.

[jashu51]

I watched a Discovery Channel show on how the Dutch are protecting themselves against mega-floods. It is just disheartening to think that America is falling apart at the seams while other countries are able to prepare for the worst.

[andvoodoo2]

We claim to be the greatest country in the world, yet our leaders have all but abandoned a major U.S. city that is home to one of the largest ports in the world.

[azureblue]

Bush refused free help from the Dutch. Years ago, the Dutch came to New Orleans and were given plans to build the pumps in the Netherlands. the grateful Dutch anted to return the favor, but Bush said no...

[twofish]

We've been eaten by a cancer called the Military-I­ndustrial-­Congressio­nal Complex, to go back to its original name. Its original intent may have been to protect the country and extend the empire, but its current mode is just to enrich certain corporations and individuals, everyone and everything else be damned.

[Dynamohum]

So true, I thought that the minute I first saw the images of Katrina as it was happening. The Dutch system is really disaster proof and not complex by design. I hope that new leadership in Washington will address these issues and start to undo all the vast damage that was done by the current administration including the Katrina tradegy. So many of our domestic problems are rampant and will take cleaning out of the incompetent cronies of the bush dynasty and the republican party entrenched in all of our interior departments and affairs. I believe Barack Obama will make an impressive dent in the to do list in the next four years.

[heal57]

I, too, believe Senator Obama will bring big changes in the next 8 years so we can be proud again; man, it's been a long time.


Independent for Obama '08
Rebuild levees to withstand hurricane 5

[Budokan]

Yes, without proper leadership in Washington this is the best American can do. Welcome to the new American norm: Mediocrity.

[philistine]

"Welcome to the new American norm: Mediocrity­."--Budoka­n

You're too optimistic. We aren't even that good, at least in this instance.

[osturk]

The corps is still the corps. It never changes no matter who is president.

[azureblue]

True, it was the ACOE's fault. But the Corps had no money to work with. Cutting off the funding is an all too common Republican political trick. And this best describes their morality- they will kill people and destroy cities for money & power.

[MeanGreenMachine]

Typical republican tactic:

spend LESS than is needed to do the job right, then blame their political enemies for the failure.

Does the failed invasion and occupation of IRAQ ring a bell?

[backhandpath]

Funding has Nothing to do with sound engineering.
It is either Built or Not.
When an Engineer builds a thing, its value is in whether it works or Not.

This Lack of Funding Spin is an absolute Red Herring Broken Record to divert The People's attention away from the Corps' inbred Bad Engineering Practices, like recently stuffing newspaper into the St Bernard Levee Repairs as Harry duly reported here.

The cry of lack of funding and we give them more money.
Our levees fail right now at the 17th Street Leak, the St Bernard Paper Mache and now Gentilly..­..and we give them more money?
BAH! NO SOUP FO'DA CORPS!

The Corps is in every congressional district across the country and use this position to pit legislatures against each other and the States against Congress as their "flood control engineering" fails nationwide. But who gets to "repair" these failures? The Corps.
This is why we must have the 8/29 Investigation.
http://www.levees.org/commission
We must get passed the Mythe that the Exquixotic Corps of Engineers is the end-all-be-all for our National Civil Engineering. We must get to the bottom of the incestuous relationship between the Corps and the ASCE.
Our lives and property depend on it. Indeed our national ID. Remember when we sent our citizens to the Moon---and brought them back with duck'tape when things went wrong?
That was Engineering.

Editilla~New Orleans Ladder
noladder dot blogspot dot com

[MeanGreenMachine]

Take the contract away.

They've proven themselves to be incompetent and negligent after the fact.

Let's open the contract to the country that has the record of success!