Katrina and the IPET: Understanding the Truth Behind the Tragedy
Katrina and the IPET: Understanding the Truth Behind the Tragedy
Hurricane Katrina will be remembered as an unparalleled national disaster not only because, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it became America’s “most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history (3.8 billion in damage/costs) with the highest death toll since 1928 (approximately 1,833 deaths),” but also because of New Orleans’ unforeseen destruction, the resultant blame ...
Personal Reflections: Katrina, The Corps, and Change
Personal Reflections: Katrina, The Corps, and Change
Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock, retired, former U.S. Army Chief of Engineers and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Commander “As a public agency the Corps of Engineers must do the right things and do things right. Where storm damage reduction in New Orleans is concerned, we did the right things as defined by Congress and the various administrations we served and as guided by public policy. Our failure was that, in hindsight, we didn’t do things r...
Compounding Catastrophe: The Impact of Humans on Natural Disasters
Compounding Catastrophe: The Impact of Humans on Natural Disasters
The dual forces of global warming and poor human management choices regarding land and water resources combine to cause ‘natural’ disasters, and poor planning and preparation exacerbate the level of damage experienced,” explains the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID is just one of many worldwide organizations sounding a wake-up call to humanity regarding its need to coexist within the parameters that Earth sets forth — parameters...