An Unnatural Disaster

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An Unnatural Disaster

• Social, Legal, and Ethical Considerations for
  Engineering Managers
• MEM 604

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Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005
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Early Map of New Orleans
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Historical Perspective of New Orleans

• New Orleans was established by the French in
  1717-18
• The first levee was erected in 1718,
• (3 earthen levee along Mississippi River)
• Spanish 1769-1802, French 1802
• U.S. 1803 Louisiana Purchase

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Historical Perspective of New Orleans

• First pumps were installed in 1858, completely
  insufficient
• Major levees and drainage pumps installed around
  1900
• Plagued by yellow fever, floods, malaria, poor
  sanitary and drainage, hurricanes, heavy rains,
  tropical heat and humidity

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Flood of 1816
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Responsibility of Government

• Corps and local levee authorities bore the
  responsibility for ensuring that the floodwalls
  were adequately designed, built, and maintained
• Bureaucratic nightmare

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Funding

• Historically, it has been the responsibility of
  local governing bodies for construction and
  maintenance of levees.
• 1927, the Army Corp of Engineers were responsible
  for construction, but again local government for
  maintenance.
• Presently, the federal government will fund the 6
  billion dollar post-Katrina construction.

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Why Did the Levees Fail?

• A number of different failure mechanisms were
  observed
• soil failure
• seepage,
• piping (internal erosion), and
• overtopping
• The levees were possibly approaching failure
  prior to Katrina
• Much of the difference in degree of damages
• inconsistent heights,
• changes in levee type (I-wall vs. T-wall),
• changes in materials (concrete, steel, sheet
  pile, earth)
• transitions where certain rights-of-way
• No clear bureaucratic mandate exists for
  reassessing the blueprints once levees are
  built.

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Flooding Estimated Depth
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Design Parameters

• Existing levees designed for a 500 year flood
• Levees failed in Category 3 hurricane
• Why not Worst Case Scenario Category 4 or 5
  hurricane?
• Utilitarian Thinking (Cost vs. Benefit Study)
• Did the corps take into account the loss of life
  that would occur in a catastrophic storm?
• Reasonable amount of protection.

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Socio-economic ImpactPoverty

• Population Pre-Katrina 469,000
• Black 67
• White 28
• 23 population is below the poverty line,
  national average 12
• 80 of city flooded
• 38 of 47 of the extreme poverty tracts flooded
• The poor suffered more than other classes
• 972 deaths
• Population Post-Katrina 200,000

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A City Underwater
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Socio-economic Impact What the Aftermath of
Katrina Brought Out in People

• The Ethical
• Generous Americans
• Wal-Mart
• New York Times
• The Unethical
• Looters
• Finger-Pointers
• Sharks

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Ethically Correct?
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Socio-economic Impact

• Because of displacement of many of its citizens,
  and a fractured infrastructure, and a stagnant
  economy, revitalization is a high priority.
• Fear that land use will be given over to
  developers who will exploit poorer sections of
  the city.
• The issue of affordable housing.

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Planning for the Future
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Recommendations

• Risk based approach will be essential to
  selecting an appropriate level of protection
• Raise levees
• Improve transitions
• Systematic and deliberate method to determine
  crest heights
• Re-design pumping system for hurricanes
• Levee design and maintenance by one agency
• Congress should enact a National Levee
• Inspection and Safety Program

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Ethical Responsibility of Engineers

• Conflicting responsibilities
• ASCE Canon of Ethics states that Engineers shall
  hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of
  the public
• Standard and Reasonable Care
• Acceptable Risk Likelihood and magnitude of the
  harm.
• Design Flaws?

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New Orleans Cross Section
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Americas Commitment

• Cost to rebuild suitable levees will cost
  Billions of dollars.
• Funding for levees will be on the backs of the
  taxpayers.
• Is the nation willing to commit our resources for
  reasonable protection of New Orleans area?
• Are we morally and ethically responsible for
  re-building New Orleans Levees?

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Katrina Catastrophe