Sandy Rosenthal's Blog, page 6
April 1, 2024
Satisfactory end to Levees.org’s campaign with others to halt the CPRA merger
In early February, Levees.org got word that the newly sworn in Louisiana governor had disturbing plans for the state’s nationally renowned Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). Governor Jeff Landry proposed moving the CPRA underneath the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
The plan also included reducing the number of advisory board members, all of whom provide expertise at no charge. These plans did not appear to be in best interest of Louisiana residents.
So Levees.org crafted a petition and asked its Louisiana residents to write to Governor Landry’s office to abandon the plan. The campaign worked,
The governor’s plan to alter the CPRA appears “on hold” according to an in-depth article by veteran journalist Mark Schleifstein in the New Orleans Advocate this past Friday.
The work of Levees.org––along with the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Bureau of Governmental Research, the Restore the Mississippi River Delta coalition and Women of the Storm––was instrumental in causing this pause in plans.
The petition and the letter campaign showed that we cannot underestimate the power of the citizen-at-large to rise up, be seen and get heard.
As we near another hurricane season, we can rest a little easier knowing that the CPRA can continue its nationally recognized projects since its creation after the levees broke in August 2005.
The post Satisfactory end to Levees.org’s campaign with others to halt the CPRA merger first appeared on Levees.Org.
March 26, 2024
Levees.org comments on $9 million payment to USACE for shoddy levees
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Anthony Bertucci calls in the status of the floodwall at London Avenue Canal’s upper breach near Robert E. Lee Boulevard. Bertucci is from New Orleans District’s Construction Division.
A few days ago, the east bank levee authority agreed to pay $9 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a final payment of its share of the cost of building the New Orleans portion of the pre-Katrina hurricane levee system.
Founder Sandy Rosenthal was asked to comment on the payment in light of the fact that levee breaches and floodwall failures led to around 80% of the city being flooded, widespread displacement and hundreds of deaths.
Here’s Rosenthal’s comment:
“On August 29, 2005, the system failed in over 50 locations, flooded a major metropolis, displaced hundreds of thousands and killed nearly 1400 people,” she said. “The failures were due to the Corps’ design and construction errors. We don’t think the Corps should get so much as a dime from the Flood Protection Authority-East.”
The full story by Mark Schleifstein can be seen here.
The post Levees.org comments on $9 million payment to USACE for shoddy levees first appeared on Levees.Org.March 20, 2024
The Heat is On Over Governor Landry’s Plans for the CPRA
Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has completed 157 projects, benefiting 55,000 acres of coastal wetlands, improving 370 miles of levees and constructing 70 miles of barrier islands.
Now, we feel like its success may be in jeopardy, with the governor’s suggestion to move the flood protection functions currently housed at CPRA under the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR), the newly renamed Department of Natural Resources.
It’s difficult to understand why the state has proposed changes to something that works – and works well. CPRA is now the standard bearer for national efforts to protect people, assets and the natural environment from the threats of hurricanes and sea-level rise. The program that has evolved is supported by countless advocates from a diverse group of stakeholders including community groups, industry, environmental organizations and business interests. The CPRA’s nationally and internationally recognized accomplishments are the result of the agency’s singular focus on coastal protection and restoration.
After Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Congress passed million in appropriations along with Public Law 109-148, ordering the State of Louisiana to establish a single state or quasi-state entity to act as local sponsor for construction, operation and maintenance of all of the hurricane and flood control projects in the greater New Orleans and southeast Louisiana. The state complied, creating the CPRA.
The chair of the CPRA reports directly to the governor. The CPRA is highly effective, largely due to this stand-alone structure. The CPRA benefits every community along the coast and the entire state.The CPRA is a splendid example of effectiveness and efficiency. Other states and countries are looking to Louisiana as a model for approaching an existential climate and land-loss crisis. CPRA’s science-based planning and project implementation expertise is the gold standard for facing the growing environmental threats facing coasts everywhere.
Moving the restoration and protection functions from CPRA to DENR would dilute and diminish the importance of the hurricane protection and restoration work by diminishing the agency’s status as a standalone, independent entity prominently seated at the forefront of state government.
We also note that the energy industry supports the CPRA and has always participated in drawing up the CPRA’s master plan. Why fix something that is not broken?
Finally, we observe that the governor is calling to reduce the size of the CPRA board and advisory board. If exorbitant amounts of money were spent by taxpayers on supporting these boards, that might make sense. But none of the board members or advisory members have ever received any sort of payment for their time and expertise. How does reducing the knowledge, experience, and talents provided by expert volunteers be good for the state of Louisiana?
Levees.org asks the governor to keep the CPRA intact, not under the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources, and to maintain the same number of advisors and board members.
A version of this post appeared in The New Orleans Lens on March 19, 2024.
The post The Heat is On Over Governor Landry’s Plans for the CPRA first appeared on Levees.Org.March 7, 2024
Levees.org says NO to Governor Landry’s plan for the CPRA
One of Louisiana Governor Landry’s first items on his agenda was to alter the structure of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA).
The CPRA was created after the levees broke to act as a single state agency to work with the Army Corps of Engineers on flood protection for New Orleans and the Louisiana coast.
The CPRA has been highly effective due largely to its stand-alone structure.
But the Governor wants to place the CPRA under Louisiana’s Department of Energy and Natural Resources. This will dilute the CPRA’s effectiveness. Further, the Governor wants to reduce the number of experts who donate their expertise for the good of Louisiana residents.
This plan appears more about control than about public safety.
Levees.org is appealing to its Louisiana supporters to say NO to this plan by sending a letter to Governor Landry’s staff.
Levees.org supporters are especially influential because the Governor cannot dismiss them as “enviro-greenies. Levees.org is about flood protection and public safety.
CLICK HERE to send a letter to Governor Landry’s staff.
For more about this issue, see this article by Bob Marshall or this article by Mark Schleifstein.
The post Levees.org says NO to Governor Landry’s plan for the CPRA first appeared on Levees.Org.January 28, 2024
Levees.org provides comment on Jefferson water main break
Recently, H.J. Bosworth, Jr., P.E., lead researcher for Levees.org spoke to WWL Radio in New Orleans.
Bosworth was tapped to provide expert commentary on the two water main breaks this past week. One of them knocked out water for the east bank of Jefferson Parish. The other created problems for residents in Lafourche Parish.
The post Levees.org provides comment on Jefferson water main break first appeared on Levees.Org.January 25, 2024
Founder Rosenthal is featured on the Dave Pamah Show
Founder Sandy Rosenthal was recently featured on the Dave Pamah show.
Rosenthal discussed her journey exposing the Army Corps of Engineers’ attempt to cover up its mistakes in designing and building the New Orleans floodwalls which collapsed during a hurricane in August 2005.
Founder Sandy Rosenthal was recently featured on the Dave Pamah show.
January 11, 2024
Founder Rosenthal’s podcast show garners ranking in top 2%
Founder Sandy Rosenthal’s podcast called Beat the Big Guys, has a global rank in the top 2% according to Listen Notes.
In the show, Rosenthal coaches her national audience on how to ‘beat the big guys’ in their own communities and improve quality of life.
ACCESS THE BEAT THE BIG GUYS PODCAST SHOW.
The post Founder Rosenthal’s podcast show garners ranking in top 2% first appeared on Levees.Org.January 2, 2024
Levees.org now listed on leading directory for education institutions
Ribbon cutting ceremony for Flooded House Museum
Levees.Org is now listed on SchoolAndCollegeListings, a leading online directory for educational institutions.
This is a splendid piece of news for everyone who has supported the mission of Levees.org since 2005.
The Levee Exhibit Hall and the Flooded House Museum are added to SchoolAndCollegeListings – an online directory for schools, colleges, educational professionals, and other institutions in the education sector.
SchoolAndCollegeListings bills itself as a “comprehensive platform designed to connect students, parents, and individuals seeking educational opportunities with reputable institutions.”
The site is a great platform for individuals to discover and engage with Levees.org’s two physical properties located 4918 and 5000 Warrington Drive at the site of one of the most devastating levee breaches in 2005.
Visit Levees.org’s listing here.
The post Levees.org now listed on leading directory for education institutions first appeared on Levees.Org.December 17, 2023
The Engineering Failures Education campaign is heating up
A fault in the altered design of skywalk bridges inside the Kansas City Hyatt Regency hotel and brought them crashing down on a crowd below on 7-17- 1981. Photo/Melissa Mairs, KSHB.
At the 18th anniversary of the levee failures during Hurricane Katrina, Levees.org kicked off the Engineering Failures Education (EFE) campaign.
The EFE campaign aims to require all students working toward their Bachelor’s degree in engineering to receive instruction on engineering failures and the lessons they teach.
The EFE campaign is going extremely well.
The list of engineers, experts and organizations in support grows daily, and the public manifesto (online petition) has garnered nearly 500 signatures.
In addition, the Associated Press (AP) has written an in-depth story about the EFE campaign which aired coast to coast including in the Washington Post.
Energy is high. If you haven’t yet, please add your name in support.
More information about the EFE campaign and the AP story
The post The Engineering Failures Education campaign is heating up first appeared on Levees.Org.
November 18, 2023
Levee Breach Event is #1 on List of USACE-caused disasters
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Anthony Bertucci calls in the status of the floodwall at London Avenue Canal’s upper breach near Robert E. Lee Boulevard. Bertucci is from New Orleans District’s Construction Division.
Oregon Public Broadcasting (opb.org) has just issued an important list––9 times the US Army Corps of Engineers miscalculated badly at the expense of taxpayers, wildlife.
Number one on the list is the failure of the levee system in New Orleans.
We find that highly appropriate in light of the horrific loss of life, nearly 1400 people.
We also note that the salt water intrusion crisis in New Orleans was on the list. Levees.org had recently called out the Army Corps for basically standing by and allowing this happen, knowing that the possibility was likely.
Bravo to both the OPB.org and also to ProPublica for producing the article in partnership.
9 times the US Army Corps of Engineers miscalculated badly at the expense of taxpayers, wildlife
The post Levee Breach Event is #1 on List of USACE-caused disasters first appeared on Levees.Org.
