ASCE Responds to Gulf Coast Hurricane Devastation
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USA TODAY, October 10, 2005 - Evidence suggests water went under, not over, some levees
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...Water at the London Avenue location made its way under the levee and began to erode it from within, creating several sinkholes, said Peter Nicholson, a University of Hawaii engineering professor who heads ASCE's team. The water also appears to have lifted up adjacent backyards by several inches and moved sections of the levee.
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Washington Post, October 8, 2005 - Floodwall Overtopping May Not Be to Blame
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...Many levees and flood walls did overtop. In some cases, catastrophic failures followed the overtoppings because the rushing floodwaters wore away the ground supporting the walls and the walls fell over.
"Some were simply overwhelmed and largely destroyed," Nicholson said. "However, many miles of levees performed satisfactorily, even many that were overtopped." ...
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NEW YORK TIMES, Sept. 11, 2005 — Disasters Waiting to Happen
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...The American Society of Civil Engineers, whose 137,000 members are involved in virtually every public works project undertaken in the United States, says that $1.6 trillion must be spent over the next five years to prevent further deterioration. Only $900 billion is now earmarked.
Absent the additional spending, said Lawrence Roth, deputy executive director of the society, "every natural disaster is going to be more destructive than it needs to be." ...
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ASCRIBE NEWSWIRE, Sept. 6, 2005 — After Waters Recede, Next Step May Be to Raise Level of New Orleans, Duke Engineering Professor Says
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... "There have been massive floods before, but few have covered such an extensive urban area as 21st- century New Orleans," said Petroski, an author of several books on engineering and society. "Galveston was devastated. What the engineers basically did was to raise it. Every low point of the city was higher than before, and some places were quite a bit higher, so if there was another flood the houses would be above it. In addition, they built a sea wall, but then they had backed this up so that the houses were higher if water did get through."
Petroski, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers' History and Heritage Committee, said he doesn't know if engineers would consider something similar for New Orleans. "The challenges would be enormous. The city is so much larger than Galveston was in 1900. But, on the other hand, they have many more resources and tools that the Galveston engineers didn't have." ...
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DETROIT NEWS, Sept. 4, 2005 — Resurrecting New Orleans: Nation Will Spend Tens of Billions of Dollars to Rebuild Ravaged City
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... "Can we do it bigger and better? Sure. Do the people of the United States want New Orleans at any cost? That's not a technical question," said John E. Durrant, the managing director of the American Society of Civil Engineers in Washington. ...
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WASHINGTON POST, Sept., 2, 2005 — Moving Toward Drying Out: Repairs to Broken Levees Begin as Engineers Prime Pumps
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... A helicopter drop probably would not have helped anyway. "You've got a great big spillway," said William Marcuson, director emeritus of the Corps' Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory in Vicksburg, Miss. "At some point the lake will subside, but until it stabilizes, you might as well leave the breaches there." ...
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BOSTON GLOBE, Sept., 1, 2005 — Rebuilding To Require Historic Effort
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... "It is unprecedented in anything any of us are familiar with," said John Durrant, managing director of the American Society of Civil Engineers. "The scale of the World Trade Center was enormous in terms of the cleanup and rebuilding, but that was two or three city blocks. Now we are talking about 25 miles of coastline and a densely populated city." ...
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NEWSDAY, Sept., 1, 2005 — Uncharted waters - As New Orleans Plans To Bail Itself Out, Engineers Undertake a Brash Air Operation To Plug Levee Breaks
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... "Anything they can do will help, but they don't know if this will do it," said Peter Nicholson, head of a dams committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers' Geoinstitute. ...
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WASHINGTON TIMES, Sept., 2, 2005 — Building Industry Expects Boost in the Aftermath of Katrina
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"I can visualize all sectors of our membership having some involvement in this recovery and rebuilding process for the next few years," said Casey Dinges, spokesman for the American Society of Civil Engineers, a Reston trade group with 137,870 members worldwide.
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PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER — Figuring Out the Future of New Orleans (also distributed on Knight Ridder Newspapers wire service)
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... "The really difficult question is, 'How much do you want to spend to make it how safe?' " said John E. Durrant, managing director of engineering programs for the American Society of Civil Engineers. ... "The spending on the infrastructure there was simply inadequate," Durrant said. There are national implications to weigh in protecting New Orleans. Beyond the French Quarter and other historic attractions, the New Orleans area is home to one-fourth of the nation's oil and natural-gas production, and one-third of its seafood catch. The region is home to the nation's largest port complex, moving 16 percent of America's cargo. "New Orleans shows how interdependent we are as a country," Durrant said. "New Orleans is important for the nation, not just the inhabitants there."
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William Marcuson, President-Elect Elect, American Society of Civil Engineers: "Well, first the city is basically divided into 12 or 13 compartments. Not all of these compartments are flooded. They've got 22 pumping stations, I think. And these are huge pumps, capable of pumping something like 6,000 cubic feet a second. If they're all working, they could pump the Superdome full in about 30, 35 minutes ."
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