An Unnatural Disaster Social, Legal, and Ethical Considerations for Engineering Managers MEM 604

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