An elite group of engineers have reviewed a self-study by engineers of its own engineering failure and have essentially determined that people should not rely on engineered structures.
That’s basically what the National Academy of Sciences has declared in their final peer review of the Corps-sponsored levee investigation after Katrina precipitated over 50 levee breaks in the New Orleans area.
The summary begins with this opening line: “Levees and floodwalls surrounding New Orleans — no matter how large or sturdy — cannot provide absolute protection against overtopping or failure in extreme events…”
If this is true, I wonder why U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu D-LA has invited Levees.org to fly to the Netherlands next month to see how the Dutch engineers are able to protect their citizens from flooding so well that they never have to evacuate – ever.
This is yet another reason to demand the 8/29 Investigation Act, a truly independent analysis of the flood protection failures in metro New Orleans. Click here:
Sandy Rosenthal
Founder, Levees.org
See Associated Press reporter Cain Burdeau’s well written piece.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gAxpip6ncdIjTcX6zuBHY9IEFxCgD97P2RG00
Click here for the summary by the National Academy of Sciences.
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12647
Off course nothing can provide “absolute” protection, even moving to the summit of the Mount Everest gives you “absolute” protection.
But a chance of .01% is definately better than a 10% chance, even if .01% is not 0%.