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External Review of IPET New Orleans Analysis
Notes Progress, Yet Risks Remain
Notes Progress, Yet Risks Remain
While many positive changes have occurred and good work has been done, New Orleans still faces a higher level of risk from flooding than would be accepted for many other engineered life-protection systems, according to ASCE's External Review Panel (ERP). After a thorough review of the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force's (IPET) risk and reliability analysis, the ERP expressed overall satisfaction with the technical competency of the report, but strongly encouraged IPET to take steps to make the report more understandable and useful for the general public. They also strongly urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take a proactive leadership role, especially clear and blunt communication to the public about the level of risk that remains and better emergency response and evacuation planning.» Read the ERP's recommendations here.
New Orleans Risk Assessment Released
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released its prototype risk assessment for the hurricane protection system in New Orleans. The analysis was developed by the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET) as part of its study of the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the protection system. These prototype risk products profile pre-Katrina and current protection system conditions, and show the dynamics of risk and the effects of system improvements on risk and vulnerability. Future analysis work will look at the next level of protection for the system (100-year storm elevations), which will be provided in the coming years. ASCE's Hurricane Katrina External Review Panel (ERP) will complete a technical review of the new information, as they have for all the IPET analyses, reports and findings.» For more information and to view the maps, click here.
ERP Report Now Available
Released June 4, the report The New Orleans Hurricane Protection System: What Went Wrong and Why focuses on the direct physical causes and contributing factors to the hurricane protection system failures during Hurricane Katrina. This report details the in-depth review by the ASCE Hurricane Katrina External Review Panel of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET) to better understand this tragedy and prevent similar disasters from happening again. It is a fascinating read, offering hope for not just the future of New Orleans, but for all other hurricane and flood-prone areas of the country.
» Order your copy.
» View the PDF
Review Panel Urges Completion of Risk Assessment
After more than a year of extensive independent review, ASCE's External Review Panel expressed overall satisfact
ion with the technical competency and findings of the draft final version of the United States Army Corps of Engineers Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force's (IPET) report on the performance of the N
ew Orleans hurricane protection system during Hurricane Katrina. However, the group also cautioned that until the risk assessment portion of IPET's analysis is complete, fully informed long-term development a
nd safety decisions cannot be made for the city of New Orleans.
» Read the full story
» Read the full report
Lessons From Hurricane Katrina
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» Read the full story
» Download the full report
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Responds to ASCE Levee Review Panel
Maj. Gen. Don T. Riley, director of Civil Works for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), has issued a letter thanking the ASCE External Review Panel (ERP) for its work and provided updates on the Corps' response to five specific ERP recommendations. The ERP is a panel of experts conducting an expert review of the work performed by the federal government's Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET).
» Read the entire letter
Task Force Releases Their Final Findings for 17th Street Canal Levee Breach
On June 1, 2006, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET) issued its final draft report on the status of its investigation of the New Orleans hurricane protection system. The American Society of Civil Engineers External Review Panel (ERP) is conducting a comprehensive review of the report and expects to offer its technical comments in a formal report scheduled for publication in July.
» Read the Executive Summary
» Read the full report
ERP Chair Testifies Before NRC Panel on Status of Levee Performance Investigation
Dr. David Daniel, P.E., president of the University of Texas, Dallas and chair of ASCE's External Review Panel (ERP), testified today before a National Research Council (NRC) panel on the status of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force's assessment of the performance of New Orleans' hurricane protection system during Hurricane Katrina. » Read Dr. Daniel's testimony
» More information
» ASCE Responds to Disaster
ERP Responds to Second IPET Report on 17th Street Canal Levee Breach
On March 10, 2006, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET) issued a second interim report on the status of its investigation of the New Orleans hurricane protection system. The American Society of Civil Engineers' External Review Panel (ERP) has conducted a comprehensive review of Report 2 and has offered its technical comments in a formal report released today.IPET's final draft report will be released on June 1, 2006, and an ERP review of that report will be released in July.
» Download the full report
ERP Responds to IPET Findings for 17th Street
Canal Levee Breach
On March 10, 2006, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (USACE) Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET) issued a second interim report on the status of its investigation of the New Orleans hurricane protection system. The 700-page report, issued during a meeting between the USACE's Interagency Performance Assessment Team and the ASCE External Review Panel (ERP), includes a preliminary finding on the cause of the breach at the 17th Street Canal levee. This levee is among those that breached before reaching its design capacity. The ERP is conducting a comprehensive review of Report 2 and expects to offer its technical comments in a formal report scheduled for publication within two weeks.
The ERP has identified several issues it believes warrant immediate attention, and communicated those concerns in a letter to LTG Strock dated March 23, 2006. A copy of the letter can be found at http://www.asce.org/files/pdf/erpletterformat.pdf.
» Read the executive summary
» Download the full report
» ERP Chair Issues Public Statement
Commander of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Authorizes ASCE To Review New Orleans Hurricane Protection System
In October 2005, Lt. Gen. Carl A. Strock, P.E., chief of engineers and commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, authorized ASCE to convene an external review panel to conduct continuing expert review of the work performed by the federal government's Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET). Organized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the IPET's mission is to obtain the facts by collecting, analyzing, testing and modeling data and information on the performance of the New Orleans hurricane protection system during Hurricane Katrina.Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld directed Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey to convene an independent panel of national experts under the direction of the National Academies of Science to evaluate the performance of the hurricane protection systems in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. Under the National Academies, the National Research Council (NRC) will assemble the multi-disciplinary, independent panel of experts to perform a high-level review and issue a final set of findings based primarily on the data gathered by IPET. The ASCE external review panel will also report its findings directly to NRC.
The IPET study is expected to be released in June 2006. The NRC report will be released in July 2006. Throughout the study, any important findings will be continually shared with those performing the New Orleans levee and floodwall reconstruction work.
All three panels' findings will be made available to the public.
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