Court Blames Army Corps of Engineers for Hurricane Katrina Catastrophe

Ever since Hurricane Katrina swamped the city of New Orleans in 2005, a lot of people have pointed the long finger of blame at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–and this week a federal court agreed.

U.S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval Jr. issued a 156-page opinion that the Los Angeles Times describes as a “stinging rebuke to the corps” for its failure to prevent the devastating floods by properly managing the levees and other infrastructure that should have protected the city.

“The Corps’ lassitude and failure to fulfill its duties resulted in a catastrophic loss of human life and property in unprecedented proportions,” Duval wrote in his ruling.

Only a few homeowners will share the $700,000 in damages awarded by the court, but the ruling also clears a path for more than 100,000 pending claims that have already been filed against the government by residents and businesses. Even more important (except maybe to the people who do stand to recover some of their financial losses), the ruling is expected to have a significant impact on levee design and storm management nationwide.

Nothing is likely to happen quickly–the case is almost sure to be appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court–but this ruling is an important step toward addressing some of the damage, grief and heartache caused by Hurricane Katrina.