NOLA levee reported weak in 1990's
Court documents prove that the Army Corps of Engineers knew that the floodwall on the 17th Steet Canal was weak for years before it failed after Hurricane Katrina:
NBC News has obtained what may be a key clue, hidden in long forgotten legal documents. They reveal that when the floodwall on the 17th Street Canal was built a decade ago, there were major construction problems — problems brought to the attention of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A 1998 ruling, by an administrative judge for the Corps' Board of Contract Appeals, shows that the contractor, Pittman Construction, told the Corps that the soil and the foundation for the walls were “not of sufficient strength, rigidity and stability” to build on.
“That's incredibly damning evidence,” says van Heerden, “I mean, really, incredibly damning.” [MSNBC]
Props to NBC's Lisa Myers and her investigative team.
Hat tip to Storms 411.
No kidding, Lisa Myers?
wow.
Posted by: julia | September 30, 2005 at 07:01 PM
In the '90s? So does that mean "Blame Clinton" is going to come next?
Posted by: Nicholas Beaudrot | September 30, 2005 at 07:23 PM