A contrite U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took responsibility Thursday for the flooding of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina and said the levees failed because they were built in a disjointed fashion using outdated data.
“This is the first time that the Corps has had to stand up and say, ‘We’ve had a catastrophic failure,”‘ Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, the Corps chief, said as the agency issued a 6,000-page-plus report on the disaster on Day 1 of the new hurricane season.
The Corps said it will use the lessons it has learned to build better flood defenses.
“Words alone will not restore trust in the Corps,” Strock said, adding that the Corps is committed “to fulfilling our important responsibilities.” MORE
[Via MSNBC.COM]
