Governor Bobby Jindal has responded to U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr.’s ruling that the flooding of areas within New Orleans was the direct fault of the Army Corps of Engineers inability to develop and execute proper water resource projects within Louisiana. The press release, posted below, condemns the Corps for their failure and is a strongly worded encouragement of the Corps to rectify and improve its efforts in the near future.
The Office of the Governor states
Baton Rouge: Governor Bobby Jindal issued the following statement regarding the ruling by U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. that the Army Corps of Engineers’ was directly responsible for flood damage to portions of the New Orleans region following Hurricane Katrina because of their failure to properly operate and maintain water resources projects in Louisiana:
“This ruling highlights the fact that Hurricane Katrina’s damage was exacerbated by the failure of the Corps of Engineers to properly operate and maintain water resources projects in Louisiana. There are very real and human implications of the failure to quickly solve challenges and address vulnerabilities in our hurricane protection system. I hope this decision will serve as a catalyst for the Corps, Congress and the Administration to aggressively move forward on hurricane protection and coastal restoration efforts in Louisiana.”
While Judge Stanwood Duval Jr.’s ruling is progressive in the sense it keeps the matter from simply being blamed on the unknown, the development of the levee and water systems around New Orleans is the most important thing that can happen in the coming months and years to protect the city from future harm. Our firm can only hope that Corps will learn from its mistakes and help make the state safer from flooding in the future.