In early 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a report stating that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S., including a terrorist attack on New York City. But by 2003 the federal funding for the flood control project essentially dried up as it was drained into the Iraq war. In 2004, the Bush administration cut funding requested by the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for holding back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain by more than 80 percent. --excerpt from an article by Sidney Blumenthal for Spiegel Online.
Read the entire article here.
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4 comments:
September 11 was the tragedy of the wealthy, talented and powerful. Hurricane Katrina seems to be more of a tragedy of the poor, Black and disaffected. Remember all the press those young financial guys at Cantor Fitzgerald got? God does not play favorites but, we do.
Very different from the interview I listened to from the former head of the Army Corps of Engineers.
He stated that for decades they have condluded they could do nothing more to "shore up" the levies. This argument has been bandied back and forth since the mid-1960's. Their 2004 budget was cut back, but the projects had nothing to do with the current levy system in and around New Orleans.
They just completed a huge, $2B project (1998-2004), building new evacuation routes from just west of New Orleans, using Hwy 90 to Lafayette. (I have driven that route and it's elevated)
So, the bottom line is:
1) do I believe the media?
2) do I believe my eyes and what the people in charge say?
I don't know who to believe but I do believe things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. Not only there, but here too. I think we all have to help anyway we can.
Thank you for posting this important information on my blog.
It seems as if trudging has made an excellent point about the tragedy of the powerful v. the poor American today. Sadly, we are all feeling it.
Have a good day, Scott!
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