When The Levees Broke

As Hurricane Gustav bears down on the Gulf Coast, take 10:51 to view the video below, which dispels certain myths about Hurricane Katrina:

1. Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster. As the video points out, Katrina was an engineering disaster.
2. New Orleans is in the wrong place. New Orleans lies 125 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and -- until they were dredged -- protected by a vast screen of wetlands.
3. New Orleans is below sea level. While some parts of the city are below sea level, so are parts of many other cities and countries, including New York, London, and 24% of Holland. 
4. Because of New Orleans' unique geography, this can't happen anywhere else. In fact, many municipalities depend on functioning levees. For example, Sacramento is at particular risk.
5. Authorities are aware of the problems and working to fix them. The Army Corps of Engineers has done nothing to change its mode of operation.

For more, see levees.org...

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