Judge Rules Army Corps Culpable for N.O. Hurricane Damage

A federal judge has found the Army Corps of Engineers at fault for some of the major damage to New Orleans parishes during Hurricane Katrina. Sandy Rosenthal, founder of Levees.org, explained the decision recently.

She wrote:

In a groundbreaking decision, a federal judge ruled late Wednesday that the Army Corps of Engineers' mismanagement of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet was directly responsible for flood damage of homes in St. Bernard Parish and the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Plaintiff attorneys Joe Bruno and Pierce O'Donnell said they expect to travel to Washington, D.C., as early as next week to try to convince members of the administration of President Barack Obama and members of Congress to consider revisiting requests for compensation by New Orleans-area residents in both the areas covered by the decision and in other areas flooded by corps-related failures of levees.

All of this comes after four years of disagreements over who was to blame for the devastating flood that swept through most of New Orleans in August 2005 during Hurricane Katrina. Rosenthal, who established the organization Levees.org, has been working tirelessly with her group to explain to authorities both in the public and private sector that the New Orleans flooding was not predictable and that New Orleans residents were unaware of the breeches in the levees that allowed the city to flood hours after the storm had hit the Gulf Coast. In fact, it was thought New Orleans had again "dodged the bullet" since the force of winds and water came earlier and did not bring the devastation that was to come later. the Army Corps of Engineers had a major campaign, complete with public relations offices, to continue the denial that poor workmanship had anything to do with the terrible flooding. This recent decision opens the door for victims of Hurricane Katrina to appeal for additional funding and for Senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter to ask for additional funds for the Coast. Digital Journal will continue to keep readers informed on this news and related information about the recent federal court decision.