An Unnatural Disaster

Social, Legal, and Ethical Considerations for Engineering Managers

MEM 604

Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005

Early Map of New Orleans

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

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

Flood of 1816

Responsibility of Government

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

• Bureaucratic nightmare

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.

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.”

Flooding Estimated Depth

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.

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

A City Underwater

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

Ethically Correct?

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.

Planning for the Future

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

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?

New Orleans Cross Section

America’s 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?

Katrina Catastrophe