Reports - WSTB

WSTB Reports

The New Orleans Hurricane Protection System: Assessing Pre-Katrina Vulnerability and Improving Mitigation and Preparedness (2009)

Press Release
Report in Brief

Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans and surrounding areas in August 2005, ranks as one of the nation's most devastating natural disasters. Shortly after the storm, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers established a task force to assess the performance of the levees, floodwalls, and other structures comprising the area's hurricane protection system during Hurricane Katrina. At the request of the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Research Council convened a committee to examine a series of reports and drafts released by the task force. This report provides an independent review of the task force's final draft report and identifies key lessons from the Katrina experience and their implications for future hurricane preparedness and planning in the region. The report concludes that comprehensive flood planning and risk management should be based on a combination of measures, including voluntary relocation options, floodproofing and elevation of structures, and evacuation studies and plans.
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