"Experts warn fixes to broken levees are falling short"

A very interesting article in the March 7 edition of The Washington Post by Joby Warrick discussed in depth the federal government's shortcomings in trying to repair the levees around New Orleans to pre-Katrina, Category 3 strength. The Army Corps of Engineers is allegedly using sub-standard materials and taking other shortcuts in an effort to complete levee repairs on time for next hurricane season. In addition, levees and floodwalls that were not breached by Katrina are not being repaired in spite of the fact that they were weakened by the storm. The accusations were made by engineers from a National Science Foundation-funded panel and a Louisiana team appointed to monitor the rebuilding. The Corps denies the charges.

The problems with this approach, if true, are manifold (and lab tests support the engineers). As the old saying goes, "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right." The shocking manner in which the repairs to the levees are being conducted is setting the city of New Orleans up for another catastrophic disaster. If these levees are not built right, there may not be a city to come back to. The federal government needs to stop nickel-and-diming New Orleans and needs to allocate the proper funding so that the project can proceed in the right direction. In addition, the state and city governments need to shape up and develop a clear plan on how to tackle some of the problems that caused the levees to be improperly maintained and money to be wasted.