Re: Flood protection system on track, on budget: A letter to the Editor

Response to Flood protection system on track, on budget: A letter to the editor from Karen Durham-Aguilera, P.E.
Senior Executive Service, Director
Task Force Hope
Mississippi Valley Division
http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2010/09/flood_protection_system_on_tra.html

Posted September 23, 2010, 1:05AM

As a Professional Engineer committed to holding safety paramount, Ms Durham-Aguilera should feel embarrassed to stoop to snake oil hucksterism when she asserts that New Orleans has the "best perimeter defense in its history." What New Orleans deserves is an adequate flood protection system.

Ms Durham-Aguilera is 100% correct when she cites the IPET's findings that Katrina taught us that flood risk reduction can only be accomplished as a system. Unfortunately, the Corps is still mired in fragmented projects, non-existent systems engineering practices, dysfunctional relations with local and state partners and an utter lack of effective, actionable communications with resident stakeholders about their residual risks.

The Corps is not expected to own these levees forever but is expected to provide the leadership to forge responsible local life cycle operation and maintenance. There are many institutions (none of them in Louisiana) that can help the Corps with proven practices to envision, define, architect, engineer and build integrated, resilient systems that deliver adequate safety to our residents against storms and hurricanes.


Without a midcourse correction, the findings and recommendations of the distinguished IPET report will go unheeded and unmet.

Its ironic to note that the Editors add Flood Protection System to the title when the Corps only refers to a risk reduction system. There's a huge difference.