The emails reveal an apparent early plan to muzzle Dr. Ivor van Heerden because he – rightly – blamed the Army Corps of Engineers for most of the flooding during Katrina. These emails were prompted by an email from van Heerden to U.S. Senators David Vitter and Mary Landrieu and others.
In the email, van Heerden said he had done an aerial assessment of levees in New Orleans’ London Avenue and 17th Street areas.
The coastal researcher concluded those levees suffered “catastrophic structural failure due to pressure bursts.” He said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wrongly reported the levees had been overtopped by surging water.