New Docs Show Gov't Forewarned on Katrina

[kpete]

New Docs Show Gov't Forewarned on Katrina

By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press Writer

January 23, 2006, 8:03 PM EST


WASHINGTON -- The Homeland Security Department was warned a day before Hurricane Katrina hit that the storm's surge could breach levees and leave New Orleans flooded for weeks or months, documents released Monday show.

An Aug. 28 report by the department's National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center concluded that a Category 4 or 5 hurricane would cause severe damage in the city, including power outages and a direct economic hit of up to $10 billion for the first week.

"Overall, the impacts described herein are conservative," stated the report, which was sent to Homeland Security's office for infrastructure protection.

"Any storm rated Category 4 or greater ... will likely lead to severe flooding and/or levee breaching, leaving the New Orleans metro area submerged for weeks or months," said the report, which was released by a Senate panel examining the government's breakdown in responding to Katrina.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-katrina-levees,0,3658995.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[babylonsister]

1. I'm glad Newsday isn't letting this go; I hope other

publications continue to point this out.

[Dogmudgeon]

2. The same day as RecallGovernorBlanco.com started up!

Just a co-inky-dink, eh, Boo-Boo?

--p!