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Posted on 02/15/2006 7:19:44 PM PST by tryon1ja
> > Here is the story in New Orleans as per Vald Heiberg:
>
> > I was the District Engineer in New Orleans in the '70's as we fought the "Greens" over putting two huge "Dutch style" flood gates at the east end of Lake Ponchartrain. That was the Corps plan, to allow us to protect ALL of the lake shore and to keep the levees where needed along the lake (especially at New Orlean s) lower. The soil conditions near the big Lake are atrocious, unlike along the Mississippi River where centuries of natural levees with far better soil exists. Higher levees near the Lake clearly was the wrong answer for the hurricane protection. I even invited all our "green" attackers to Vicksburg, flying them there for a day in 1975, to visit with the world's best model and hydraulic experts at the Corps labs.
>
> But I didn't convince those rabid "greens," and they sued the Corps to stop those massive flood gates. A Federal judge agreed with them: "Just build those New Orleans levees higher", we were told in court.
>
> Meantime, Dutch, British, and Italian engineers visited our Vicksburg experts to get their facts right for their projects, and they built systems providing far more protection. For the Dutch, they protect their urban areas against > 10,000 year flood events. The Congress allows the Corps to build to (at most) 100- or 200-y ear protection.
>
> In 1986, the Corps finally gave up the decade-long fight to keep those huge gates. That concession was perhaps my biggest error as the Corps' "Chief," but there simply was no support from the Federal courts or the Congress who assumed "higher levees are the answer."
>
> Katrina showed everyone the error of abandoning those huge flood gates, yet that story remains poorly told. There are some critics who say "It wouldn't have made that much a difference." I am certain they are wrong, and know that future hurricanes will be far better handled by a flood gate system more like the Dutch, Brits, and Italians have chosen. But in the '70's and beyond, the "greens" had the upper hand. Perhaps now, with the waste and chaos of Katrina and Rita behind us, our future protection will include those large flood surge gates! I have provided these thoughts to the chair of the National Academies committee who are studying "the big picture" for future N ew Orleans hurricane flooding protection.
>
> Now you know "the rest of the story" . . . and I was there. Too bad the author of that scurrilous attack on the Army Corps of Engineers didn't know his/her facts. And I hope you find a way to share this with those who saw your earlier piece.
>
> Vald Heiberg Commander, New Orleans District '74-'75
> Member, Mississippi River Commission, '75-'78
> Director, Civil Works, Corps of Engineers, '79-'82
> Deputy Commander, Corps of Engineers, '82-'83
> Commander and "Chief of Engineers", Army Corps of Engineers, '84-'88
Some of you as I, possibly wondered why the Corps of Engineers did not speak out after being blamed for the New Orleans' disaster. If an engineer officer, one was embarressed by the criticism. As you can see below, it would have meant two government agencies pointing fingers at each other, the Corps and EPA. What good would that do? I know Gen Heiberg, personally. He is a "straight-arrow" and all round great guy. If he says it; it is true!! I do feel better knowing the truth. I wonder how the " greens" feel about "their victory" now? The truth will set you free. Mel
Ok if I pass that around ??
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bump
These are just the top two and most obviuos.
It's starting to get a little scary.
This is the last time I buy a spell-checker from a guy selling software out of the trunk of a 1974 Yugo,
Don't forget all the resources the greenies tie up by endless bouts of litigation and regulation protests...yep.
Ok if I pass that around ??
Certainly.
I saw those waterworks (flood gates) in Holland a couple of years ago and they are impressive, to say the least.
>This is the last time I buy a spell-checker from a guy selling software out of thetrunk of a 1974 Yugo<
ROTFLOL!!!!
Thanks!
bump
It would sure keep storm surge out of Lake Ponchartrain if they had them. It would have meant the canals didn't burst their levees if they hadn't had to deal with so much water pressure on them...
But this is yet another bounty of people who worship Green or sentimentalize nature instead of actually understand the science behind ecology and related disciplines...
I thought they were blaming Mr. GO [MRGO-Mississippi River Gulf Outlet] for being the funnel that fed all the excess water that caused at least part of the failure. Has that changed? Just wondering.
Its not going to matter. Just the fact that this happened while GW was president is all they need to wreck the federal governments help.
Essayons!
In an intelligent world, this explains why the areas where the first Europeans settled were not flooded as mush as other areas. In a Democratic world, racists blew-up the levees to kill black Americans and take their land.
That's what got St. Bernard. And maybe the lower 9th.
What got Lakeview was the flood water pressure from Lake Ponchartrain on the canal. Also what got Bucktown and Metairie too...New Orleans East probably got it all the ways possible, counting on where in New Orleans East you were.
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