Posted on 09/20/2005 11:38:42 PM PDT by CobaltBlue
Louisiana's top hurricane experts have rejected the official explanations for the floodwall collapses that inundated much of New Orleans, concluding that Hurricane Katrina's storm surges were much smaller than authorities have suggested and that the city's flood- protection system should have kept most of the city dry.
With the help of computer models and visual evidence, scientists at Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center have concluded that Katrina's surges did not come close to overtopping those barriers.
* * * * Ivor van Heerden, the Hurricane Center's deputy director, said the real scandal of Katrina is the "catastrophic structural failure" of barriers that should have handled the hurricane with relative ease.
"We are absolutely convinced that those floodwalls were never overtopped," said van Heerden. * * * * Tuesday, researchers showed numerous indications that Katrina's surge was not as tall as the lakefront's protections. They showed a "debris line" that indicates the top height of Katrina's waves was at least four feet below the crest of Lake Pontchartrain's levees. They also pointed out how the breached floodwalls near the lake showed no signs of overtopping -- no splattering of mud, no drip lines and no erosion at their bases. They contended that the pattern of destruction behind the breaches was consistent with a localized "pressure burst," rather than widespread overtopping.
Their model indicates that most of the surge around the lake and its nearby canals was less than 11 feet above sea level, and that none of it should have been greater than 13 feet. The Army Corps's flood-protection system for New Orleans was designed to handle surges of more than 14 feet above sea level.
"This should not have been a big deal for these floodwalls," said oceanographer G. Paul Kemp. There's no way this should have exceeded the capacity."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Lame at best, Howlin. What really is behind your anger? Is it that taxpayers will have to foot the bill if the Army Corps of Engineers was at fault? If they did something wrong, shouldn't we know about it? If local government was at fault, shouldn't we know about this too?
If entrenched politicos were at fault, we'd better know now...at the very least to investigate other projects they have signed-off on to preserve our safety.
Unfortunately, we do not have a tremendously altruistic culture. Media exposure and penalties are the only effective tools we have right now.
We're not talking about YOU.
We were discussing why I shouldn't be compensated for my "loss" because I already PAID for the levee you now are claiming was defective.
After all, I've been traumatized this very day by having to read this BS you've been posting about filing suit against "me" to get more of the money I've already paid for the damn levee.
Well, regardless, uninsured motorist coverage doesn't apply here.
Too funny. Sue me. ;^)
Do you have trouble retaining information from post to post?
I've clearly posted at least three times what my anger is about.
Vultures/ambulance chasers trying to get money for nothing.
Okay "all", explain this post to me!
I'm open minded but this is over my head.
I only look at the moon from the bright side, the dark side of the moon is new territory for me.....
I have workee in 4 hours so I'm going to bed.
Good night y'all
Oh, and CobaltBlue, keep up with the good posts!
It makes life interesting to say the least.
Gosh Colbat I am glad I showed up I hope this tread is running I see we lawyers are taking a bashing and by the way whoever said a plantiff lawyer would feel unfortable on this board has a closed mind I know several conservative prolife office holder and many plantiff lawyers that are repub.
Good idea, think I'll go to bed, too!
What did I say that was distressing?
Sue you? There's nothing to sue you for -- unless you can twist some other laws to make it illegal to practice your kind of law.
Good, you can take over! It's past my bedtime! ;^)
But didn't they do exactly what they were designed to do?
The decision to not protect the city against the storm experienced was a political decision. I don't know how you can fault the construction for failing to do something it was never designed to do.
And the rule of law says, if you injury (Sic) someone, you compensate them
Not quite: it says that if it was clearly foreseeable, deliberate, or malicious, liability attaches. And, BTW, "I" didn't "injury" anyone, genius. Now you're just making stuff up out of the thin air.
Where did you get your "law degree"? East Popcorn State Junior College? I'd demand a refund, given the "quality" of your "legal" ramblings to date...
Rhetorical question, my dear...but you are too angry to see this. Take some estrogen, drink chamomile tea, a benzodiazepine wouldn't hurt either.
He calls to the other attorney to go and save her and after the successful rescue the two attorneys got together and looked at the lady in distress and found her to be oh so beautiful.
One of the attorneys asked the other one "Since she's so beautiful, should we screw her?"
And the other attorney replied, "out of what?, She's naked and destitute"!
LOL! Lawyers are so-- well, shall we say-- "dedicated".
Yet another condescending lawyer joins the thread with specious remarks.
Such a surprise.
First of all I not sure theres going to be alot to sue for because this cities are bankrupt and the potential clients are huge at there. Not like everyone is going to get a huge windfall here. I think most people want to rebuild and someone will have to fight the insurance companies when they welsh
I'm not a lawyer, but I have given you my "prescription" for inner peace. What you do with my suggestions is up to you.
Oh, you're just here to defend Cobalt?
I not condescending alot of remarks have been condescending toward a proffesion that people don't know alot about or think they do because of some stereotype
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