Yet officials like to remind us how much of an improvement this flood protection system is over the one that catastrophically failed during Katrina. So if you trust the Corps, this is what 1 in 100 year storms will do to New Orleans (after repairs are finished in 2011). And if you live an average life span in New Orleans, chances are you'll likely get to see exactly how well these maps correspond to reality. Doesn't a federal commitment to nothing more than WEAK CATEGORY 3 FLOOD PROTECTION make life more interesting?
The New York Times printed a dark blue picture of the 1 in 500 year storm scenario for New Orleans, which basically shows the city totally immersed in 8+ feet of water. But that level of protection for one of America's urban cultural jewels is apparently too expensive, and too undeserved. (The Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee, on the other hand, is built to withstand a 1 in 935 year "event".)
Labels: ACoE, Federal Flood, flood protection
