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