To deflect criticism of the Corps of Engineers’ pre-Katrina workmanship, Lt Gen Carl Strock issued a news release the Thursday before Labor Day weekend with statements that either hide behind terminology or deflect blame.

Earthen levees. Strock claimed that “Earthen levees are designed to withstand still water against their face or water flowing past, but not to take water moving over the structures…”

What Strock really meant to say was “Corps designed earthen levees” were designed to withstand only still water. The Corps chose for whatever reason to build levees without consideration for overtopping, even though the Corps’ own levee design manual on pages 1-3 on Causes of Levee Failures lists four ways that levees can fail and the very first is over-topping. It is also interesting that the Corps is designing levees for overtopping NOW. In an emergency measure earlier this year, the Corps requested millions for armoring the levees to prevent erosion when overtopped.

Contributary negligence. Strock also says the “city’s flood damage has been estimated at $18 billion, but he suspects a third of the damage would have occurred even without the levee breaches.”

Strock is admitting to Corps culpability in 2/3rds of the flooding. However, even this figure is too low as it assumes no Corps responsibility for the 25% of the water that entered the heart of the city at the Industrial Canal. This crucial section of floodwall was below authorized height, had incomplete sections, was not armored, and was improperly designed at critical points. It is hard to draw a clear bright line as to what portion of this floodwall’s failure was due to the Corps and what part was due to deficiencies in Congressional funding and/or authorization. Nevertheless, Strock’s remarks are a disingenuous attempt to absolve the Corps and place the full blame on Congress.

Be it the Corps or be it Congress, it is overwhelmingly clear that the responsibility for the flooding of Greater New Orleans lies at the federal government’s feet.

Sandy Rosenthal
Founder, Levees.Org