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Millions for Paper Filled Floodwalls
WWL TV News, New Orleans ^ | 4-25-08 | ClearBlueSky

Posted on 04/25/2008 12:49:35 PM PDT by ClearBlueSky

4 Investigates: Floodwalls stuffed with newspaper?

11:54 PM CDT on Thursday, April 24, 2008

Lee Zurik / WWL-TV News Anchor

"It blows my mind."

Those are the words St. Bernard parish president Craig Taffaro used to watch videotape Eyewitness News showed him, of floodwalls built to protect his parish.

"That should be criminal," Taffaro continues.

What he's talking about was witnessed by a St. Bernard Parish resident whodidn't want to be identified, but did have sharp criticism of the work done by a contractor hired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"It's like putting a Band-Aid on the hole of a gas tank of an airplane," the resident said.

Instead of an airplane, it's a floodwall, and instead of a Band-Aid, the witness says two years ago, he saw the contractor filling the expansion joint or opening between the floodwalls with newspaper.

"The whole length of the wall was stuffed with newspaper.".....

(Excerpt) Read more at wwltv.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: hurricanes; levees; lower9th; neworleans
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Say that the New Orleans area isn't worth protecting, or cannot be protected, from hurricanes-then don't allocate any money at all to a futile venture. But- don't spend the $$ and WASTE it like this! Paper levees to hold back hurricane surges? Is there any common sense anywhere? Now leaking levees don't matter, and paper levees aren't a risk? This is criminal, and magical thinking won't help.But c'mon back, everything is A-ok!( Oh, and hurricane season starts in June-start packing!)
1 posted on 04/25/2008 12:49:35 PM PDT by ClearBlueSky
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To: ClearBlueSky

I think it is because George Bush hates black people ... *snicker*


2 posted on 04/25/2008 12:51:29 PM PDT by TexGuy (If it has the slimmest of chances of being considered sarcasm ... IT IS!)
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To: ClearBlueSky

New Orleans was so corrupt it was wiped clean by the hand of God almighty....

But they are determined to rebuild the cesspool as fast as possible.


3 posted on 04/25/2008 12:55:05 PM PDT by Mikey_1962 (Just a typical white guy: clinging to my guns, my religion, and my bigotry...)
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To: TexGuy

Before I would get too excited, the paper could have been used as a backing for an elastomeric seal.


4 posted on 04/25/2008 12:55:39 PM PDT by D Rider
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To: ClearBlueSky

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were at fault for the levee failures following Katrina and now here they are again building defective flood walls.


5 posted on 04/25/2008 12:56:43 PM PDT by trumandogz ("He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and it worries me." Sen Cochran on McCain)
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To: Mikey_1962

St. Bernard Parish is not New Orleans.


6 posted on 04/25/2008 12:58:22 PM PDT by trumandogz ("He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and it worries me." Sen Cochran on McCain)
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To: ClearBlueSky

You’re doing a great job, Brownie!


7 posted on 04/25/2008 1:01:47 PM PDT by varon (Allegiance to the constitution, always. Allegiance to a political party, never.)
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To: ClearBlueSky
Paper levees to hold back hurricane surges? Is there any common sense anywhere?

Well, it looked good ON paper.

8 posted on 04/25/2008 1:02:16 PM PDT by OB1kNOb ("We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election." - Ahmed Yousef, Hamas PM advisor)
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To: ClearBlueSky

What this episode should really tell the MSM is that all their fishwrap REALLY isn’t good for anything! /s


9 posted on 04/25/2008 1:03:24 PM PDT by Enchante (Obama: All you dumb, bitter "typical white people" must learn to say "God D--n America!")
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To: Mikey_1962

Employing your logic, would the F-5 tornado that wiped out Greensburg Kanas (two years ago) also be considered to have come from the hand of God...?

I’m not sure what Greensburg Kansas’s level of corruption and sin was to have set God’s mind to wiping it out.

It certainly would have to been equal to New Orleans for God to act in such a manner - right?


10 posted on 04/25/2008 1:05:20 PM PDT by MplsSteve
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To: trumandogz
St. Bernard Parish is not New Orleans.

But it suffered as much, if not more, in damage to property & life.

11 posted on 04/25/2008 1:06:53 PM PDT by Magnolia
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To: Mikey_1962

I reject that assumption. God doesn’t miss when he wants to wipe something clean- and the French Quarter( Sin Central) escaped destruction. While the residential areas of N.O. were 10 feet deep, the bars and perverts in the Quarter were fine.

As a native, I make no apologies for saying that rebuilding ANYTHING here after Katrina is stupid. The N.O. area- and points south- are geographically doomed. One more big hurricane and the debate is over- it’s ALL permanent wetlands.

The point of my post was to show the WASTE of millions. If politics won’t allow the powers that be to say- outright- that the place is not worth defending, then at least get the most for the money you’re spending. If the Corps sees nothing wrong with the quality of this floodwall, can the rest of the country trust them to build effective flood protection elsewhere? Where is the culpability for shoddy work?


12 posted on 04/25/2008 1:07:34 PM PDT by ClearBlueSky (Whenever someone says it's not about Islam-it's about Islam. Jesus loves you, Allah wants you dead!)
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To: ClearBlueSky

What’s everybody getting so excited about? Its newspaper- all part of “Going Green”. They are protecting a city and saving the planet all in one futile gesture. Plus, the government is spending a lot of money on it- this has all the necessary components to be wildly successful in the eyes of a liberal.


13 posted on 04/25/2008 1:08:16 PM PDT by philled (Rest in Peace, Sgt Merlin German. www.merlinsmiracles.com)
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To: trumandogz

No, it is my understanding that the levee failures were due to improper maintenance by the politically-appointed levee supervisors.


14 posted on 04/25/2008 1:08:21 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: Magnolia

Yes, I ventured into St. Bernard a few weeks after the storm and was amazed at the destruction as it was as bad or worse than the Lower 9th.

However, I was there a few months ago and it was looking much better.


15 posted on 04/25/2008 1:09:52 PM PDT by trumandogz ("He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and it worries me." Sen Cochran on McCain)
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To: ConservativeMind
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has claimed responsibility for the Levee Failures.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/01/national/main1675244.shtml

16 posted on 04/25/2008 1:12:44 PM PDT by trumandogz ("He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and it worries me." Sen Cochran on McCain)
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To: ConservativeMind

Then why did the corp admit before congress that it was their design flaws that led to the failure of the levees?


17 posted on 04/25/2008 1:13:34 PM PDT by WatchOutForSnakes
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To: trumandogz

We’re familiar with the Port at Chalmette and its employees, one of whom died as a result of Katrina. A number of employees have not been back to their homes since they were flooded. It’s my understanding that a lot of progress has been made in the area, however. While everyone was focusing on NO, St. Bernard Parish was almost totally ignored and its destruction equal to, if not worse, than NO.


18 posted on 04/25/2008 1:14:55 PM PDT by Magnolia
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To: ClearBlueSky

We have 1 unidentified resident with presumably no idea what the engineering design was saying he saw them stuff the levee with newspaper and you’re just taking it as 100% true and bad. They do a lot of neat stuff these days with paper, paper and chemicals can do quite a lot of stuff, including potentially build a water proof structure. Also the guy could be full of it.

Maybe it would be best to find out the truth before getting all freaked out. And remember, NO doesn’t get hit by hurricanes very often any.


19 posted on 04/25/2008 1:15:27 PM PDT by discostu (down in the swamps with the gators and flamingos)
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To: ConservativeMind
No, it is my understanding that the levee failures were due to improper maintenance by the politically-appointed levee supervisors.

I thought the levees were blown up. Can't they make up their minds?

20 posted on 04/25/2008 1:16:35 PM PDT by BubbaBasher (Without the 2nd amendment there would be no 1st amendment!)
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