KATRINA ARTICLE STIRS CONTROVERSY

In anticipation of the two year anniversary of Katrina, there have been a number of articles related to New Orleans lately in Time Magazine, National Geographic, and Fortune.

The Time magazine article attacks the Army Corps of Engineers for its shoddy engineering and misplaced priorities (the Corps spent a lot more money on questionable navigation projects than on levees to protect the city). The article provoked a rather heated response from the Corps, and an interesting letter from General Riley, the head of civil works for the Corps.

Riley recently send a letter to Corps employees that states:

“Many of you are probably aware of the Time Magazine cover story this week,with the feature story "The Threatening Storm," which ridicules the Nation's democratic process and is highly critical of the Corps and national efforts in New Orleans.

We are working to correct the record. This misrepresentation of the situation in Louisiana is damaging efforts to get essential, factual information to the people and community leaders of New Orleans. The careless use of words and reckless disregard for the truth is undermining the real science and risk information citizens need to make informed decisions about
rebuilding.

Notwithstanding its clear bias against representative democracies, the author
is fast and loose with the facts. “

“Bias against representative democracies?” I don't know the author, Michael Grunwald, personally, but I don't guess that he opposes democracy. If anything, his work seems to be exposing a crack in our democracy, where people in New Orleans were led to believe they were safe. Perhaps the Corps is worried that once the cracks become apparent, the whole bureaucracy they have built could wash away like one of their levees in Katrina.

I also find it interesting that the Corps is attacking someone for being against “representative democracies,” given the Corps’ track record for ignoring the will of the people in favor of backward development schemes or unnecessary civil works projects. As an example, last year over 2,500 GRN supporters sent comments asking the Corps to hold a public hearing on a controversial wetland policy change. Did they grant it? Nope. That’s representative democracy for you.

Jeff Grimes is Assistant Director of Water Resources for the Gulf Restoration Network.