Sandy Rosenthal's Blog, page 16
June 17, 2020
New cover design for “Words Whispered” unveiled today
Jacket cover
Recently, Mango Publishing reached out to us with a request.
Mango’s sales reps were “really into” Levees.org founder Sandy Rosenthal’s upcoming book and wanted a jacket that would “really sing.”
So we tapped local artist and photographer Michael Styborski who created an eye-catching look. Styborski selected a photograph that he took in the Lower Ninth Ward after the Army Corps of Engineers’ levees broke.
In his words: “Perhaps a blue caste or overlay on a shot for a symbolic representation? And maybe use a negative that demands attention?”
We think the new cover graphic conveys the striking effect of dark menacing unbridled waters––under a blue sky.
What better way to say, it was the levees, not Mother Nature?
“Words Whispered in Water could only have been assembled years later after a great deal of research. America owes a debt to Sandy Rosenthal for correcting the record.”
––Steve O’Keefe, Author of “Set the Page on Fire: Secrets of Successful Writers,” and a resident of New Orleans during the flood
The book is due out August 11, 2020.
Preorder from a local bookstore near you,
Paperback from Barnes & Noble or
Paperback and audiobook from Amazon.
June 16, 2020
How it all began: Levees.org’s Flooded House Museum
Four years ago, Levees.org purchased the last remaining house at the site of a major levee breach that had not yet been torn down or renovated.
That house was 4918 Warrington Drive, just a stone’s throw from the London Avenue Canal breach site.
We wanted to create a museum to commemorate and memorialize the flooding of August 29, 2005 caused by the Army Corps of Engineers’ poorly engineered levees.
But Levees.org faced a challenge. We needed permission from the City of New Orleans to convert the residential family home into a cultural monument for visitors.
The plan was to stabilize the blighted exterior, fix the hole in the roof, and replicate the front living room space to show how it looked right after the floodwaters were pumped out.
Six months later, with the full support of the Filmore Gardens neighborhood residents, the City Planning Commission unanimously voted in favor of the project.
Then working with the Department of Safety and Permits, the project was approved and built over the next two years.
The grand unveiling was in March of 2019. The event even received national attention.
The Flooded House Museum is the result of a partnership between the neighborhood residents, the City of New Orleans and Levees.org.
But on August 8, 2016, it was all just an idea.
June 15, 2020
For ten straight weeks, Words Whispered in Water is #1 New Release
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Founder Sandy Rosenthal’s debut book has maintained the status of #1 New Release for ten straight weeks or for 70 straight days.
The book is titled Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina.
Rosenthal’s book describes her role as a citizen investigator and how––against all odds––she exposed the culprit in the catastrophic flooding of New Orleans and compelled the news media, and the government, to tell the truth.
It’s a horror, mystery and David and Goliath story all in one. It is her story.
The publisher is Florida-based Mango Publishing. The book is due out August 11, 2020.
Preorder from a local bookstore near you,
Paperback from Barnes & Noble or
Paperback and audiobook from Amazon.
June 11, 2020
Early praise for Words Whispered in Water by Levees.org Founder Sandy Rosenthal
Early praise is piling up for founder Sandy Rosenthal’s debut book, Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina.
It’s the story of how––against all odds––Sandy Rosenthal and her grassroots group exposed the culprit in the catastrophic flooding of New Orleans and compelled the news media and the government to tell the truth.
The book will be published by Florida-based Mango Publishing (fast growing independent publisher in 2019 according to Publisher’s Weekly) and will be released on August 11, 2020.
See what they said!
————
“For years, Sandy Rosenthal has been the go-to source for any reporter seeking to understand the truth about flood protection in New Orleans: what really happened to the levees following Hurricane Katrina and the steps taken (and those that still need to happen) to protect the area and its residents. Read the inside story for yourself in this readable, engaging tale of how Rosenthal began investigating the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shortly after Katrina and her efforts to hold accountable the Corps and other public officials.”
―Gary Rivlin, author of Katrina: After the Flood
“Putting herself in the path of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the local media, academia, and entrenched political interests in order to get to the truth about the New Orleans levee system took guts, as well as masterful community organizing. Anyone who is interested in Hurricane Katrina, and in America’s failing infrastructure, will want to read this book told in a fast-paced narrative.”
―Scott G. Knowles, head of the Department of History at Drexel University and author of The Disaster Experts: Mastering Risk in Modern America
“Sandy Rosenthal’s account of the founding of levees.org after the flood of New Orleans is an invaluable memoir of the making of an activist. In a world crying out for citizen action around increasingly desperate climate issues, her story is timely and instructive―and even hopeful.”
―Michael Tisserand, author of the award-winning The Kingdom of Zydeco
“Sandy Rosenthal is a courageous and indefatigable warrior for justice.”
― Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
“Sandy is a New Orleans hero. Her advocacy on behalf of flood protection has changed this city for the better. My own book drew upon some of her research. Sandy can rally people to action like I’ve never seen and is relentless in her efforts to hold government and political leaders accountable.”
―James Cobb, author Flood of Lies: The St. Rita’s Tragedy
“For someone like me, who moved to New Orleans after Katrina, one of the biggest challenges of understanding New Orleans has been to understand what happened in that flood, and why, and what it means. I don’t know of any individual who has done more to elucidate these matters than Sandy Rosenthal. Her scrupulous and ferocious focus on the facts has been a necessary tonic for the city and a help for its citizens. Sunshine is the best disinfectant and Sandy, in those terms, has been a huge source of light.”
―Thomas Beller, associate professor of English and director of Creative Writing at Tulane, author, and contributor to the New Yorker and the New York Times
“An inspiring memoir and gripping detective story, Words Whispered in Water investigates the cause of the 2005 New Orleans flood in all of its muddied complexity. In this era of climate breakdown and failing infrastructure, Rosenthal’s book is more than a history lesson. It’s a master class in citizen advocacy and a rousing call to action.”
―Robert Verchick, former EPA official in the Obama administration and author of Facing Catastrophe
“For all the myths and misinformation that circulated after Hurricane Katrina, there are still people across the country who don’t know that it was the collapse of the levees, not the hurricane itself, that drowned New Orleans. Sandy Rosenthal overcame hurricane hardships to establish, with a computer whiz of a son, the Levees.org website to get the story out and arouse the public. The lengths the Army Corps went through to silence her or deflect the truth and the stumbling blocks she experienced along the way are all here in a quick-moving tale. It makes for a gripping read.”
―Roberta Brandes Gratz, award-winning journalist and author of We’re Still Here Ya Bastards
“As I traveled through New Orleans in early January of 2006, there were no birds, no dogs, no children, no streetlights, no mail…but there were, I discovered as I drove around the haunted cityscape, yard signs in neighborhoods―seemingly everywhere―that said ‘Hold the Corps Accountable.’ They were, I soon learned, the work of Sandy Rosenthal, whose newly constructed Levees.org suspected, before two university investigations made it uncomfortably clear, that ‘Katrina’ was no natural disaster. Sandy is bright, dedicated, and fearless―a bad combination if you’re an Army Corps of Engineers PR person.
“As those university investigations’ results became known, at least to locals, Sandy turned her efforts to doing what would seem normal in other disasters but was ridiculously challenging locally―erecting monuments at key points of system failure to commemorate those who lost their homes, their livelihoods, or their lives through the mis- and mal-feasance of this mysterious federal super-agency. She has fought for her city, and her community, harder than most soldiers fight in war. And, with a new Corps-built system starting to reveal its own problems, she’s not through fighting yet.”
―Harry Shearer, actor, producer, and voice of The Simpsons
“There are only a few civilians that fight like real warriors. Sandy Rosenthal is one of them. I’ve personally watched Rosenthal stand up for justice against big money companies with deep pockets. Even when the odds were stacked overwhelmingly against her, she came out the victor. Sandy’s determined quest to put the truth about the massive flooding of New Orleans in 2005 in front of the American people is a story that needs to be told…and one that includes important lessons for holding powerful institutions accountable.”
―Russel L. Honore, Lieutenant General, United States Army (Ret.)
“Everyone alive at the time remembers the live-on-TV horror of Hurricane Katrina and the deadly drowning of a great city, New Orleans. The ‘who, what, and why’ of the catastrophe was thereafter carefully PR managed to protect the interests of the powerful, especially the notorious Army Corps of Engineers, shifting the blame to Nature and the city itself. It took a tireless, driven citizen movement to set the record right, confronting the failures of scientists and journalists as well as the devious smears, attacks and propaganda of the powerful. Sandy Rosenthal led their fight and tells the story here. The truth of Hurricane Katrina has been terribly incomplete but is now unspun and revealed in this heroic book, Words Whispered in Water.”
―John Stauber, author of Toxic Sludge is Good for You!
June 8, 2020
Words Whispered in Water is #1 New Release for 9 straight weeks
Click to enlarge
Founder Sandy Rosenthal’s debut book has maintained the status of #1 New Release for nine straight weeks or for 63 straight days.
The book is titled Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina.
Rosenthal’s book describes her role as a citizen investigator and how––against all odds––she exposed the culprit in the catastrophic flooding of New Orleans and compelled the news media, and the government, to tell the truth.
It’s a horror, mystery and David and Goliath story all in one. It is her story.
The publisher is Florida-based Mango Publishing. The book is due out August 11, 2020.
Preorder from a local bookstore near you,
Paperback from Barnes & Noble or
Paperback and audiobook from Amazon.
June 2, 2020
Words Whispered in Water is #1 New Release for 7 straight weeks
Founder Sandy Rosenthal’s debut book has maintained the status of #1 New Release for seven straight weeks or for 56 straight days.
The book is titled Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina.
Rosenthal’s book describes her role as a citizen investigator and how––against all odds––she exposed the culprit in the catastrophic flooding of New Orleans and compelled the news media, and the government, to tell the truth.
It’s a horror, mystery and David and Goliath story all in one. It is her story.
The publisher is Florida-based Mango Publishing. The book is due out August 11, 2020.
Preorder from a local bookstore near you,
Paperback from Barnes & Noble or
Paperback and audiobook from Amazon.
June 1, 2020
Video retrospective: Army Corps of Engineers used federal computers to attack its critics online
This screengrab proves via the IP address that the commenter is using Army Corps of Engineers’ equipment to harass LeveesOrg: 155.76.159.253 CLICK TO ENLARGE
Today is the first day of hurricane season. In normal times, the discussion would be about the flood protection that the Army Corps of Engineers built to protect the people of New Orleans.
So imagine Levees.org’s surprise when we discovered that this same Army Corps was attacking us.
Today, Levees.org released its 4th in a video retrospective series highlighting hurdles we’ve overcome together since the levees broke.
In December of 2008, using backend tools available to any amateur blogger, I discovered cold hard proof that the Army Corps of Engineers was waging a harassment campaign against LeveesOrg.
Then, over the next six months, we found further proof that for three years, members of the corps hid their identities, pretended to be impartial observers and attacked anyone who criticized them.
They did this by using their federal computers and posting vicious comments online with the Times-Picayune, which at that time was the region’s leading news source.
The Army Corps of Engineers’ campaign of ugly comments shifted responsibility for its levee failures during Hurricane Katrina away from itself and onto the citizens of New Orleans. But they were caught.
For the news story by WWL-TV, click here.
May 25, 2020
Conflict of interest: Federal agency asks Michigan dam owner to investigate dam failure?
Arrow shows direction of flooding from Sanford & Edenville Dams
Our hearts go out to the people of Midland community in Michigan after two dams failed on May 19 forcing the evacuation of 11,000 people amid the coronovirus pandemic.
Wixom Lake (held back by Edenville Dam) and Sanford Lake (held back by Sanford Dam) both emptied into the region after heavy rains swelled the Tittabawassee River resulting in about 120 square miles under several feet of water.
In addition to the hardships of the individuals, the flooding will create environmental damage by exposing toxins and washing them into the nearby Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. President Trump has declared a state of emergency.
However, we are surprised that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has directed Boyce Hydro––the owner and operator of the two broken dams––to establish an independent investigation.
A letter from David Capka, director of the Division of Dam Safety and Inspections for FERC, directs Boyce Hydro to form the team to “undertake a forensic analysis of the root cause of the overtopping damage to Sanford Dam as well as any other contributing causes.”
This is absurd because it’s a conflict of interest for the owner of the dams to direct and manage the investigation. The dam owners should have no influence whatsoever in the investigation.
The FERC should request that a completely independent organization such as the American Society of Civil Engineers or the National Science Council be in charge.
For more about the flooding and the investigation, click here.
May 18, 2020
Words Whispered in Water is #1 New Release for 6 straight weeks
Founder Sandy Rosenthal’s debut book has maintained the status of #1 New Release for six straight weeks or for 42 straight days.
The book is titled Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina.
Rosenthal’s book describes her role as a citizen investigator and how––against all odds––she exposed the culprit in the catastrophic flooding of New Orleans and compelled the news media, and the government, to tell the truth.
It’s a horror, mystery and David and Goliath story all in one. It is her story.
The publisher is Florida-based Mango Publishing. The book is due out in August 2020.
Preorder from a local bookstore near you,
Paperback from Barnes & Noble or
Paperback and audiobook from Amazon.
May 15, 2020
Army Corps hired PR firm to improve its image
After the levees broke in New Orleans, the Army Corps of Engineers quietly hired a public relations firm called Outreach Process Partners (OPP).
OPP was hired under a 3-year contract to ostensibly improve the federal agency’s image.
This small firm was paid $1 million up front and, over the next three years, received another $3,613,998.00.
OPP boasted in its website that it reduced negative news stories for the corps.
Levees.org brought the nearly $5 million contract to the attention of its supporters in May 2009.
The eBlast got the attention of CBS National News and the Associated Press who both did national stories.
Dennis Woltering with WWL TV Channel 4 did the local news story shown above on May 13, 2009.
This scandal––and many others––are described in detail in founder Sandy Rosenthal’s upcoming book, Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina.
Preorder from a local bookstore near you,
Paperback from Barnes & Noble or
Paperback and audiobook from Amazon.
