The largest civil engineering disaster in the history of the United States caused $300 billion in damages, half a million people out of their homes, and more than a thousand lives lost.
The National Science Foundation investigated the levee failures in New Orleans and found that the Army Corps of Engineers approved the design of the levees and said it would withstand 14 feet of water.
In fact, using data available from the Army Corps, forensic analysts concluded that the levees would fail at a water level between 11 and12 feet which is just what happened in Hurricane Katrina.
The Army Corp mis-underestimated the weak soil layers 10 to 25 feet below the levee and didn't extend the pilings deep enough.
"It kind of boggles the mind that they missed this because it's so basic and there were so many qualified engineers working on this"
You can expect a flood of lawyers and litigation to be filed against the Army Corps in the months and years to come.
17th Street Canal levee was doomed. Report blames corps: Soil could never hold. The Times-Picayune.
Posted by Jill Fallon at December 4, 2005 7:30 PM | Permalink