Rhino
07-11-2006, 08:27 AM
Army Corps Report on Rebuilding Louisiana Leaves Out Specific Hurricane Protection
Monday, July 10, 2006
NEW ORLEANS — The Bush administration issued guidelines for deciding how to protect Louisiana from the most dangerous hurricanes — plans that state officials said ignore specific fixes that could begin quickly.
The much-awaited report, developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, marked the first step in two years of planning how to rebuild New Orleans' levees, bolster Louisiana's coastline and develop other programs to control flooding from Category 5 storms.
But five specific recommendations Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat, described as urgently needed to protect the state had been stripped out of the Corps' proposal since a draft was circulated last month.
Instead, Corps officials said they would put off embracing any particular plans to avoid uncoordinated or incomplete safeguards during the process. The rebuilding could take over a decade.
"It's too early to recommend projects for authorization," Corps planning and policy chief Col. Tom Waters told reporters Monday afternoon. "We must, as we look at increased levels of protection, determine the comprehensive system, and appropriately apply projects."..........http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202876,00.html
Monday, July 10, 2006
NEW ORLEANS — The Bush administration issued guidelines for deciding how to protect Louisiana from the most dangerous hurricanes — plans that state officials said ignore specific fixes that could begin quickly.
The much-awaited report, developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, marked the first step in two years of planning how to rebuild New Orleans' levees, bolster Louisiana's coastline and develop other programs to control flooding from Category 5 storms.
But five specific recommendations Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat, described as urgently needed to protect the state had been stripped out of the Corps' proposal since a draft was circulated last month.
Instead, Corps officials said they would put off embracing any particular plans to avoid uncoordinated or incomplete safeguards during the process. The rebuilding could take over a decade.
"It's too early to recommend projects for authorization," Corps planning and policy chief Col. Tom Waters told reporters Monday afternoon. "We must, as we look at increased levels of protection, determine the comprehensive system, and appropriately apply projects."..........http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202876,00.html