Dear President Obama:
When you return to the Oval Office, please sign an executive order authorizing an independent review of the flood protection failures, and the organizational component as well, during Hurricane Katrina. The language is co-written by Senator David Vitter R-LA and Senator Mary Landrieu D-LA. And it’s shovel ready.
And please, when you talk about New Orleans, please refrain from using Katrina Shorthand. New Orleans and St. Bernard were flooded primarily by civil engineering mistakes made by our country’s Army Corps of Engineers, not a natural disaster.
Click below for nationally televised interview on MSNBC.
I listened to Chris Matthews interview with Sandy Rosental and thought he was very even-handed, clearly interested in getting to the crux of the case she’d bring to the president about the disaster in New Orleans. Ms. Rodenthal couldn’t give a clear answer other than the fact that it was an engineering failure – and I am still in the dark about what she’s advocating we do now.
Dear Michael,
Levees.org advocates for a truly independent review of the flood protection failures, and the decision making involved, on August 29, 2005.
With 55% of the American people living in counties protected by levees, the majority of us could benefit.
Click here to contact your members of Congress:
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1625/t/4583/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2949
We also advocate that Obama please not mislead the American people. On August 29, 2005, Mississippi got hit by a natural disaster; Louisiana got hit by a manmade disaster.
I was just reading the news on my phone, and Ms. Rosenthal said her disappointment with Obama’s visit was intense, mostly because he referred to Katrina as a “disaster of nature” Rosenthal said the levee failures that sent water pouring into the city prove it was a man made disaster,too.Obama’s failure to recognize that felt like a tactic to show that recovery money was coming from the “realm of largesse and generosity” rather than a government obligation to help New Orleans. I believe Hurricane Katrina as with any other hurricane IS a natural disaster. Yes, the levees did fail, but that city like many others are on the coast.It is the path of a hurricane. Are we going to build walls to block tornadoes and when they fail,blame the government? Even though the levees did fail, it could have been worse. Who are we going to blame when “Mother NATURE” has had enough of our irresponsible ways of taking care of this planet? The government?
New Orleans is not a coastal city. Besides, levee failure and flooding is not a coastal problem and that is irrelevant anyway.
Regarding who we will blame for “our irresponsible ways,” well I imagine that depends on who the “we” is. In the case of levee failure, that might be the US Army Corps of Engineers responsibility, by federal mandate.
Hurricane Katrina is and always will be a natural disaster. Mankind is ignorant enough to continue to believe it can protect itself fully against the forces of nature. It is natural that we are this way – a means of survival.
There is no argument that Hurricane Katrina was a natural, disastrous event. It was a powerful, Cat 4 storm, and it’s winds and rain wreaked havoc in Mississippi as well as Louisiana.
But, Tim, there is indeed a high limit to what can humanly be done to protect New Orleans especially. It ought to be protected for its value as a port and as a city that has become a national treasure. So it is worth protecting to the best of our collective abilities.
And therein lies the trouble and the dirty truth. The complex levee system built to protect the city from flooding due to an extremely powerful storm surge FAILED. The levees were not breached, they BROKE. Weak levees were not what the Army Corps was assigned to created. So the Army Corps of Engineers failed doing their part to prevent disastrous flooding.
BOTTOM LINE: the Flood that destroyed lives, homes, entire neighborhoods, displaced families and killed people – American citizens – was simply a direct result of levees breaking down — levees designed to withstand a natural disaster of this magnitude. The technology and ability was and IS there, but the job was not done. Who’s accountable?
Another point to Tim: Do you sincerely think that mankind is ignorant enough to believe we can withstand any force of nature? Come on! Of course we’re not! Don’t belittle this issue.
The levees were breached or they broke, whichever is not important, they did fail to do the intended job. However, rebuilding in the same spot is nothing if not stupid.who in their right mind builds below sea level.
It is all regrettable,the loss of life is especially tragic, however, should we not learn from this? Do not not tempt nature to destroy your fantasies.