In 2005, there were extensive failures of the levees and flood walls protecting New Orleans, Louisiana and surrounding communities. Five investigations (three major and two minor) were conducted by civil engineers and other experts, in an attempt to identify the underlying reasons for the failure of the federal flood protection system designed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. In total, the federal flood protection system protecting greater New Orleans failed in 53 places. A levee, levée (from the feminine past participle of the French verb lever, to raise), floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall, usually earthen and often parallels the course of a river. ... NOLA redirects here. ...

The Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal ("MR-GO") breached its levees in approximately 20 places, flooding much of New Orleans East, most of Saint Bernard Parish and the East Bank of Plaquemines Parish. Major levee breaches within the city of New Orleans occurred on the 17th Street Canal, the London Avenue Canal, and the wide, navigable Industrial Canal. Approximately 80% of the city of New Orleans was flooded.^[1] The MRGO and an outlet into Lake Borgne, approximately 50 miles (80 km) up the canal from its mouth and 15 miles (24km) east of New Orleans The Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal (also known as MRGO, MR-GO or Mr. ... Eastern New Orleans is a large section of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. ... St. ... Plaquemines Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... A levee, levée (from the feminine past participle of the French verb lever, to raise), floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall, usually earthen and often parallels the course of a river. ... Woman walks dog along the levee beside the floodwall on the Metarie side of the Canal, 11 November, 2005. ... The London Avenue Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana does not connect Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River. ... The Industrial Canal is a 5. ...

Three major breaches occurred on the Industrial Canal; one on the upper side near the junction with MR-GO, and two on the lower side along the Lower Ninth Ward, between Florida Avenue and Claiborne Avenue. The 17th Street Canal levee was breached on the lower (New Orleans West End) side inland from the Old Hammond Highway Bridge, and the London Avenue Canal breached in two places, on the upper side just back from Robert E. Lee Boulevard, and on the lower side a block in from the Mirabeau Avenue Bridge. Flooding from the breaches put the majority of the city under water for days, in many places for weeks. The Industrial Canal is a 5. ... The two Lower Ninth Ward areas, including Holy Cross and the Lower Ninth Ward Neighborhood in relation to the rest of the city of New Orleans. ... Woman walks dog along the levee beside the floodwall on the Metarie side of the Canal, 11 November, 2005. ... A levee, levée (from the feminine past participle of the French verb lever, to raise), floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall, usually earthen and often parallels the course of a river. ... The London Avenue Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana does not connect Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River. ...

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, five investigation teams studied the failure of the hurricane protection system that led to the failures, and thus most of the flooding. All five studies basically agree on the mechanisms of levee failures, and all agree that the system designed by the US Army Corps of Engineers was a system in name only.

Background

Vertical cross-section of New Orleans, showing maximum levee height of 23 feet (7 m) at the Mississippi river on the left and 17.5 feet (5 m) at Lake Pontachartrain on the right.

See also: Drainage in New Orleans and Hurricane preparedness for New Orleans

The original residents settled on the high ground along the Mississippi River. Later developments eventually extended to nearby Lake Pontchartrian built upon fill to bring them above the average lake level. Navigable commercial waterways extended from the lake to downtown. After 1940, the state decided to close these waterways since there was a new Industrial Canal for waterborne commerce. Once these waterways were closed, the water table was drastically lowered by the city's drainage system and some areas settled up to 8 feet (2 m) due to the consolidation of the underlying organic soils. After 1965, the US Army Corps built a levee system around a much larger geographic footprint that included previous marshland and swamp. The average elevation of the city is between 1 and 2 feet below sea level. There are no residential areas of the city that are currently more than 10 feet (3 m) below sea level. Image File history File links New_Orleans_Levee_System. ... Image File history File links New_Orleans_Levee_System. ... Drainage has been a major concern since the founding of New Orleans in the early 18th century, and an important factor in the citys history. ... New Orleans, Louisiana sits between (and below) the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. ...

The heavy flooding caused by Hurricane Betsy in 1965 brought concerns regarding flooding from hurricanes to the forefront. That year, Congress gave the US Army Corps of Engineers sole authority for the design and construction of the flood protection in Greater New Orleans in the Pontchartrain Hurricane Protection Project. The local interests' role was maintenance once the projects were complete. When authorized, this Mandate was projected to take 13 years to complete. When Katrina struck in 2005, the project was between 60-90% complete and the projected date of completion was estimated to be 2015, nearly 50 years after it first gained authorization. To put that in perspective, President Theodore Roosevelt's construction of the Panama Canal, one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, took 10 years. Two Panamax running the Miraflores Locks The Panama Canal (Spanish: ) is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ...

On August 29, 2005, flood walls and levees catastrophically failed throughout the metro area. Many collapsed well below design thresholds (17th Street and London Canals). Others collapsed after a brief period of overtopping ( Industrial Canal) caused by “scouring” or erosion of the earthen levee walls – an egregious design flaw. The American Society of Civil Engineers refers to the flooding of New Orleans as the worst engineering catastrophe in US History. [1]

Levee and floodwall breaches

Sketch of New Orleans (shaded grey), indicating the locations of the principal breaches in the levees/floodwalls (dark blue arrows). Red dots show locations of deaths.

Breach in 17th Street Canal levee in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 31, 2005, showing the innundated Lakeview neighborhood on the right and the largely dry Metairie side on the left.. (NOAA)

Severely damaged homes in piles of silt near the upper London Avenue Canal breach.

Most of the Army Corps-built levee failures were reported on Monday, August 29, 2005, at various times throughout the day. Overall, approximately 28 levee failures were reported.^[2] A breach in the Industrial Canal, near the St. Bernard/Orleans parish line, occurred at approximately 9:00 AM CST, the day Katrina hit. Another breach in the Industrial Canal was reported a few minutes later at Tennessee Street, as well as multiple failures in the levee system, as well as a pump failure, in the Lower Ninth Ward, near Florida Avenue. Image File history File links New-Orleans-deaths. ... Image File history File links New-Orleans-deaths. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1082x1323, 954 KB) Summary Breach in 17th Street Canal wall in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1082x1323, 954 KB) Summary Breach in 17th Street Canal wall in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... Woman walks dog along the levee beside the floodwall on the Metarie side of the Canal, 11 November, 2005. ... A levee, levée (from the feminine past participle of the French verb lever, to raise), floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall, usually earthen and often parallels the course of a river. ... NOLA redirects here. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lakeview is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the north west of the city. ... Metairie is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area located in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1772 KB) Summary New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: Houses on Pratt, with their back yards abutting the breech of the London Avenue Canal. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1772 KB) Summary New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: Houses on Pratt, with their back yards abutting the breech of the London Avenue Canal. ... The London Avenue Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana does not connect Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Industrial Canal is a 5. ... St. ... New Orleans (French: Nouvelle-Orléans) is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... CST can stand for: Civil Support Team Common Spanning Tree Central Sandinista de Trabajadores, the Sandinista Workers Centre Central Standard Time (USA) Central Standard Time (Australia) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (in Mumbai, India) Chinese Standard Time Chungyuan Standard Time (in Taiwan, Penghu, Quemoy, Matsu and some other small islands) Church of... The two Lower Ninth Ward areas, including Holy Cross and the Lower Ninth Ward Neighborhood in relation to the rest of the city of New Orleans. ...

Local fire officials reported a breach at the 17th Street Canal levee at about 12:00 PM CST, though there was some confusion among FEMA officials over whether this was an actual breach, or overtopping. The Duncan and Bonnabel Pumping Stations were also reported to have taken roof damage, and were non-functional.^[2] Woman walks dog along the levee beside the floodwall on the Metarie side of the Canal, 11 November, 2005. ... A levee, levée (from the feminine past participle of the French verb lever, to raise), floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall, usually earthen and often parallels the course of a river. ... CST can stand for: Civil Support Team Common Spanning Tree Central Sandinista de Trabajadores, the Sandinista Workers Centre Central Standard Time (USA) Central Standard Time (Australia) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (in Mumbai, India) Chinese Standard Time Chungyuan Standard Time (in Taiwan, Penghu, Quemoy, Matsu and some other small islands) Church of... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is an agency of the United States government dedicated to swift response in the event of disasters, both natural and man-made. ...

Breaches at St. Bernard and the Lower Ninth Ward were reported at 5:00 PM CST, as well as a breach at the Haynes Blvd. Pumping Station, and another breach along the 17th Street Canal levee. CST can stand for: Civil Support Team Common Spanning Tree Central Sandinista de Trabajadores, the Sandinista Workers Centre Central Standard Time (USA) Central Standard Time (Australia) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (in Mumbai, India) Chinese Standard Time Chungyuan Standard Time (in Taiwan, Penghu, Quemoy, Matsu and some other small islands) Church of...

By 8:30 PM CST, all pumping stations in Jefferson and Orleans parishes were reported as non-functional. CST can stand for: Civil Support Team Common Spanning Tree Central Sandinista de Trabajadores, the Sandinista Workers Centre Central Standard Time (USA) Central Standard Time (Australia) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (in Mumbai, India) Chinese Standard Time Chungyuan Standard Time (in Taiwan, Penghu, Quemoy, Matsu and some other small islands) Church of... Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. ... New Orleans (French: Nouvelle-Orléans) is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ...

At 10:00 PM CST, a breach of the levee on the west bank of the Industrial Canal was reported, bringing 10 feet of standing water to the area. CST can stand for: Civil Support Team Common Spanning Tree Central Sandinista de Trabajadores, the Sandinista Workers Centre Central Standard Time (USA) Central Standard Time (Australia) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (in Mumbai, India) Chinese Standard Time Chungyuan Standard Time (in Taiwan, Penghu, Quemoy, Matsu and some other small islands) Church of...

A quarter-mile breach in the levee near the 17th Street Canal, 200 yards (200 m) from Lake Pontchartrain, was reported at 10:30 PM CST. An estimated 66% to 75% of the city was now under water.^[2] Lake Pontchartrains north shore at Fontainebleau State Park near Mandeville, Louisiana in 2004 Lake Pontchartrain (local English pronunciation ) (French: Lac Pontchartrain, pronounced ) is a brackish lake located in southeastern Louisiana. ... CST can stand for: Civil Support Team Common Spanning Tree Central Sandinista de Trabajadores, the Sandinista Workers Centre Central Standard Time (USA) Central Standard Time (Australia) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (in Mumbai, India) Chinese Standard Time Chungyuan Standard Time (in Taiwan, Penghu, Quemoy, Matsu and some other small islands) Church of...

At about midnight, a breach in the London Avenue Canal levee was reported. The London Avenue Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana does not connect Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River. ...

Interestingly enough, the Orleans Canal, about midway between the 17th Street Canal and the London Avenue Canal, supposedly engineered to the same standards, and presumably put under similar stress during the Hurricane, survived intact. An incomplete section of floodwall along this canal allowed water to overtop at this point, thus reducing the pressure against the wall.^{[citation needed]} The Orleans Canal is a drainage canal in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...

Investigations

Preliminary investigations

In the 17 months following Katrina five investigations were carried out. The only Congressionally ordered study was sponsored and managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Two major independent studies were done by the University of California at Berkeley and the Louisiana State University. Two minor studies were done by FEMA and the insurance industry. All five studies basically agree on the engineering mechanisms of failure. United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 military men and women. ...

The failure mechanisms engineers investigated included overtopping of levees and floodwalls by the storm surge, consequential undermining of flood wall foundations or other weakening by water of the wall foundations, and the storm surge pressures exceeding the strength of the floodwalls.

A preliminary report by the American Society of Civil Engineers on an independent investigation concluded the flooding in the Lakeview neighborhood was caused by the soil of the levees giving way, not by water overtopping the flood walls. Soil borings in the area of the 17th Street Canal breach show a layer of peat starting about 15 to 30 feet (9 m) below the surface, and ranging from about 5 feet (2 m) to 20 feet (6 m) thick. The peat is from the remains of the swamp on which the low areas of New Orleans (near Lake Ponchartrain) were built.^[3] The shear strength of this peat was found to be very low, and to have a high water content. According to Prof. Robert Bea, a geotechnical engineer from the University of California, Berkeley, this would make the floodwall very vulnerable to the stresses of a large flood. "At 17th Street, the soil moved laterally, pushing entire wall sections with it. ... As Katrina's storm surge filled the canal, water pressure rose in the soil underneath the wall and in the peat layer. Water moved through the soil underneath the base of the wall. When the rising pressure and moving water overcame the soil's strength, it suddenly shifted, taking surrounding material -- and the wall -- with it."^[4] Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. ... Lake Pontchartrain is the second largest salt-water lake in the United States, and the largest lake in southeastern Louisiana. ... Shear strength in reference to soil is a term used to describe the maximum strength of soil at which point significant plastic deformation or yielding occurs due to an applied shear stress. ... Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ...

The peat layer appears to be about 1,000 feet (300 m) wide. It is not clear if it had been properly taken into account when the levees were built. The floodwalls consist of a concrete cap on a sheet pile base driven 17.5 feet (5.3 m) deep at 17th Street Canal. A deeper piling would have anchored the flood wall in much stronger soil. Look up Pile in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Floodwall design

Investigators focused on the 17th Street and London Avenue canals because evidence shows they were breached even though water did not flow over their tops, indicating a design or construction flaw. Eyewitness accounts and other evidence show levees and flood walls in other parts of the city, such as along the Industrial Canal, were topped by floodwaters first, then breached or eroded. Many New Orleans levee and floodwall failures in the wake of Hurricane Katrina occurred at weak-link junctions where different levee or wall sections joined together, according to a preliminary report released on November 2, 2005, by independent investigators from the University of California, Berkeley, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).^[5][6] is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ... The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a professional body, founded in 1852, to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. ...

The American Society of Civil Engineers investigation found that geological borings made in 1981, prior to construction of floodwalls along the 17th Street Canal, revealed the nature of the weak layer of soft soil that lay under the base of flood walls foundations of steel piling.^[3]

"According to the analysis, they've got the soil strength test. It doesn't show exactly the input for the analysis, but assuming they used it and came out with factors of safety, it's showing the numbers are safe. So it leaves an open-ended question as to why the flood wall failed." said Peter Nicholson, a geotechnical engineer from the University of Hawaii who is heading up an American Society of Civil Engineers team looking at the levees.^[3]

The original design for the steel sheet foundations for the flood walls showed a proposed depth of 10 feet (3 m), and design documents show calculations were made with the wall base at 12.8 feet (3.9 m). According to a New Orleans engineer, the depth apparently was later increased to 17 feet (5.1 m), and this is what was built. However, a forensic engineering team from the Louisiana State University investigations using sonar showed that at one point near the 17th Street Canal breach, the piling extends just 10 feet (3 m) below sea level, 7 feet (2.1 m) shorter than the Corps of Engineers had maintained. "The corps keeps saying the piles were 17 feet (5 m), but their own drawings show them to be 10," van Heerden said. "This is the first time anyone has been able to get a firm fix on what's really down there. And, so far, it's just 10 feet (3 m). Not nearly deep enough."^[7] Other reports confirmed that construction on the London Avenue and Industrial Canal levees was similarly below these stated standards.^[8] They also found that homeowners along the 17th Street Canal, near the site of the breach, had been reporting their yards flooding from persistent seepage from the canal for a year prior to Hurricane Katrina. Other studies showed the levee floodwalls on the 17th Street Canal were, "destined to fail,", from bad Army Corps of Engineers design, saying in part, "that miscalculation was so obvious and fundamental," investigators said, they, "could not fathom how the design team of engineers from the corps, local firm Eustis Engineering and the national firm Modjeski and Masters could have missed what is being termed the costliest engineering mistake in American history."^[8] Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. ...

It is likely the Katrina storm surge created unusual subterranean pressures under the walls. Those pressures appear to have made soil under the sheet pile weaker so that it gave way, moving the steel sheet-pile-and-concrete walls along with it. Engineers studying the levees also say other, unknown factors, including structural problems in the walls, could also have contributed to the breaches.^[4] Look up Pile in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Aerial evaluation revealed damage to approximately 90% of some of the levee systems in the east which should have protected St. Bernard Parish. St. ...

Levee maintenance

Portion of the flood wall atop 17th Street Canal levee, with Katrina-related graffiti. Notice cracks in the flood wall joints.

Maintenance and inspection are the responsibility of local levee boards, but the levee failures were not due to maintenance, but rather to design flaws that routine maintenance would not have detected. ^{[citation needed]} ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x750, 542 KB) Summary New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: Graffitti along the Metarie side of the flood wall atop the 17th Street Canal, showing a map of Louisiana with New Orleans marked by a fleur-de-lis as the center of... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x750, 542 KB) Summary New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: Graffitti along the Metarie side of the flood wall atop the 17th Street Canal, showing a map of Louisiana with New Orleans marked by a fleur-de-lis as the center of... Woman walks dog along the levee beside the floodwall on the Metarie side of the Canal, 11 November, 2005. ...

National Academy of Sciences Investigation

On October 19, 2005, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced that an independent panel of experts, under the direction of the National Academy of Sciences, would convene to evaluate the performance of the New Orleans levee system, and issue a final report in eight months. The panel would study the results provided by the two existing teams of experts that have already examined the levee failures.^[9] is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), concerned with the armed services and The role of the Secretary of Defense is to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for the formulation of general defense... Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932) is a U.S. Republican politician and businessman, who was the 13th Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and the 21st Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006. ... President Harding and the National Academy of Sciences at the White House, Washington, DC, April 1921 The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine. ...

Senate Committee hearings

Preliminary investigations and evidence were presented before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on November 2, 2005, and generally confirm the preliminary investigations described above.^[10] The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On November 9, 2005, The Government Accountability Office testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The report cited the Flood Control Act of 1965, which authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design and construct a flood protection system to protect south Louisiana from the strongest storms characteristic of the region. is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... General Accounting Office headquarters, Washington, D.C. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the non-partisan audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of Congress, and an agency in the Legislative Branch of the United States Government. ... The United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for dealing with matters related to the environment and infrastructure. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. ... Flooding in Amphoe Sena, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W...

In his written evidence to the committee, Ivor van Heerden, from Louisiana State University, concluded, "Most of the flooding of New Orleans was due to man’s follies. Society owes those who lost their lives, and the approximately 100,000 families who lost all, an apology and needs to step up to the plate and rebuild their homes, and compensate for their lost means of employment. New Orleans is one of our nations jeweled cities. Not to have given the residents the security of proper levees is inexcusable."^[10] Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. ...

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Admits Fault

On April 5, 2006, months after independent investigators had demonstrated that levee failures were not due to natural forces beyond intended design strength, Lt. Gen. Carl Strock testified before the U. S. Senate Subcommittee on Energy and Water that, "We have now concluded we had problems with the design of the structure." He also testified that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not know of this mechanism of failure prior to August 29, 2005. The claim of ignorance is refuted, however, by the National Science Foundation investigators hired by the Army Corps of Engineers, who point to a 1986 study by the Corps itself that such separations were possible in the I-wall design.^[11] is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The logo of the National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 military men and women. ...

Nearly two months later, June 1, 2006, the USACE finally and unequivocally admitted responsibility for the events in New Orleans with the release of the completed report. The Final Draft of the IPET report states the destructive forces of Katrina were "aided by incomplete protection, lower than authorized structures, and levee sections with erodible materials."

See also

• Civil engineering and infrastructure repair in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
• Drainage in New Orleans
• ING 4727
• Industrial Canal
• 17th Street Canal
• London Avenue Canal

As a result of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, there were extensive failures of the levees and flood walls protecting New Orleans, Louisiana and surrounding communities. ... Drainage has been a major concern since the founding of New Orleans in the early 18th century, and an important factor in the citys history. ... ING 4727 was a barge belonging to Ingram Barge Company that became infamous when it went through a levee and landed in a residential neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. ... The Industrial Canal is a 5. ... Woman walks dog along the levee beside the floodwall on the Metarie side of the Canal, 11 November, 2005. ... The London Avenue Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana does not connect Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River. ...

References

BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “NPR” redirects here. ... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Orleans Times-Picayune is the major daily newspaper serving New Orleans, Louisiana. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Orleans Times-Picayune is the major daily newspaper serving New Orleans, Louisiana. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Orleans Times-Picayune is the major daily newspaper serving New Orleans, Louisiana. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Orleans Times-Picayune is the major daily newspaper serving New Orleans, Louisiana. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Orleans Times-Picayune is the major daily newspaper serving New Orleans, Louisiana. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Orleans Times-Picayune is the major daily newspaper serving New Orleans, Louisiana. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• The Storm What Went Wrong and Why During Hurricane Katrina by Ivor van Heerden and Mike Bryan, Viking, 2006. ISBN 0-670-03781-8

External links

• Levees.Org (non-profit in New Orleans)
• Interagency Performance Evaluation Taskforce (IPET) Draft Final Report (1 June 2006) provided by USACE
  Note: Site may be slow to load and considered non-secure by IE7
• IPET Draft Final Report (1 June 2006) provided by The Times-Picayune
• Independent Levee Investigation Team (ILIT) Final Report (31 July 2006)