Another Katrina? Not Funny

The destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina was a man-made disaster and as of today, the eve of the six-year anniversary, we haven't done anything to stop it from happening again.  This is the premise behind Harry Shearer's new movie, The Big Uneasy.

Harry Shearer is best known and loved as the voice behind Mr. Burns, Smithers, Ned Flanders, Rev. Lovejoy and Scratchy in The Simpsons or the cucumber scene in This is Spinal Tap, but his latest movie is all serious, though it might make you love him more.  "Most funny people are dark serious guys and gals underneath," he told Planet Forward's Frank Sesno in an interview last week.

Within the first 10 minutes the movie he presents a strong argument for why the hurricane was NOT a natural disaster, but instead a man-made disaster created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Using some nifty graphics, he shows a map of New Orleans, showing where the famous levees broke, and as the eerie blue water washes across the city, it becomes pretty clear that bad engineering -- not nature  -- caused the flooding that devastated this great city.

We've fixed the problem, right? Not according to whistleblower Maria Garzino. "In the event of a Katrina-level storm, the City of New Orleans is just as vulnerable to catastrophic flooding as it was in 2005," she said in a letter to the Obama Administration.  The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) agrees. From their own report: "The government and the public cannot reasonably trust that the flood control system in place in New Orleans possesses reliability and integrity."

What's even more frustrating is that there are good solutions to prevent flooding in coastal cities and you don't have to look far to find it: natural marshlands.  "Human engineering," says Mr. Shearer, "that doesn't mimic what nature already does... is doomed."  Some engineers in New Orleans have gone so far as to ask Dutch engineers how they confront the same issues in the hopes of using those ideas to develop a more sensible long-term plan.

Restoring "nature's buffer" -- marshlands -- would also help New Orleans stop sinking, according to Mr. Shearer.  The natural process that brings silt down the Mississippi would resupply the marsh and help it "grow" about the rising sea level.

We had a fascinating conversation with Mr. Shearer. I would encourage all of you to watch:

What do you think? Can we be inspired by nature to adapt to climate change?  What solutions have you seen in your city?  Tell us at Planet Forward.

 

Follow Susanna Murley on Twitter: www.twitter.com/susannamurley

Comments

[Brad Stanley]

11:11 AM on 08/24/2011

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[JoAnn Kennedy]

10:30 AM on 08/24/2011

I live on the Delaware River and afterr 4 floods in 10 years it has come the river residents conclusion that the government is alot to blame. First the USACE is responsible for mapping the FEMA FHIP/ FIS coordinates that are needed to establish if indeed you are living in a hazardous zone. The Commonwealth of PA DEP has Title 25 Environmental Laws that specifically dictate what can and can not be done in a flood plain delineated area/perimeter -- of course no one from the township or county ever inspects or enforces the federal and state ordinances that mandate construction of structures in a zone that is inundated by high water. For example, in order for you the homeowner to receive flood insurance your township has to sign an ordinance that is reviewed by a state agency (in my case DCED) and then approved by FEMA. That's it. No more intervention. Three times I called FEMA to request a visitation and each time I was found that my specific examples were not in accordance with the local, state and federal regulations. However, nothing was done. Washington is full of alot of talk and no action. Will there be another Katrina Yes, I am sure of it -- will it impact people YES -- will our broke government bail these people out YES -- why when prevention is the key. But don't expect protection from the government. They are just into BAILouts

[doctorj2u]

07:21 AM on 08/23/2011

Harry is a Godsend to New Orleans. Will anyone listen? Our lives depend on it.

[greeninnature]

07:23 PM on 08/22/2011

I love the idea that the natural marshland could help... I live near Hoboken, NJ which is flooded frequently when it rains heavily... is there any advice for what they can do?

[Baccich]

07:14 PM on 08/22/2011

The flooding of New Orleans was not only "man made", but MADE TO ORDER. The latest revelations about the Corps show that the New Orleans office,AT LEAST, is riddled and rotten with corruption,just like New Orleans City Hall.That, combined with the fact that it is impossible to believe that the most incompetent graduate of the worst engineering school in the world could seriously believed that the phoney,"stage prop" floodwalls along the drainage canals stood even the slightest chance of holding up under any pressure of water, shows that the disaster was deliberate, bought and paid for by the people who have been gorging themselves on GRAFT from the "disaster aid", the New Orleans City Hall Gang.EVERY ONE of the programs that were ostensibly intended to aid the VICTIMS of the flood have actually been designed to siphon the money into the pockets of the politicians and their "associates".

[Sandy Rosenthal]

05:43 PM on 08/22/2011

As noted by Gaye Tuchman, distinguished sociologist and author of Wannabe U, "one should always look behind language that would seem to attribute calamity to unpreventable weather. This vocabulary,” she warned, “denied human agency. It minimized the individuals and institutions whose actions could often be found hiding behind all the talk of water and wind."