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When levees fail, so does this nation, says editorial

Posted by: Maven on December 17, 2009 at 6:21 am

From the Santa Maria Times, this editorial:

“Of the images forever seared into the national consciousness, several stand out — airliners crashing into the World Trade Center, the anguished faces of American citizens stranded at the New Orleans Superdome, begging their government for water, help, anything in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

These are events, along with many others — good and bad — over the past two and a half centuries that have molded this nation into its present shape. From Dust Bowls to Super Bowls, it’s what we are.

Late last month, a federal judge made a startling and precedent-setting ruling about the cause of the flooding that devastated much of New Orleans — the federal government was to blame.

Specifically, faulty design and construction of the network of levees designed to keep the Gulf of Mexico out of the city greatly exacerbated Katrina’s damage. Even more specifically, the judge accused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of being directly responsible for the storm damage. … “

Read more of this editorial from the Santa Maria Times by clicking here.

December 17, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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