LESSONS NOT LEARNED The unusual situations which came to be such an impressive part of the recent flood conditions in southern Louisiana - and, to some extent, - along the Gulf coast port areas- form a daunting challenge for all of us. We can accept or refuse to make use of information provided when then hurricane's Katrina and Rita,and their accompanying rains, dealt the area a severe package of destructive forces men have known in those areas in the past.
This time the evil, invading waters flowed across worn and broken levees, walls and canal structures on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain and other inadequately prepared sections of the system - many unidentified or confused with others in like condition. It quickly came to mind that the billions of dollar's requested by and sent to New Orleans for repair and maintenance of the water control systems, were misused to serve other purposes. We can, in our investigations, overlook such "monetary" 'lapse's or take it under consideration and try to roundup those persons found to be guilty of such funds. I am told a definite paper trail e exists in the Washington, D .C. agencies which details the intended use of the funds. None of these federal funds were spent on any of the three most obvious levee and seawalls the most notorious offenders of all causing overflows which flooded New Orleans because no such fund were ever requested during that eight year period.
The ever-questing eye of television searched out and showed millions of citizens shocking realities concerning inequities which exist in our society which have not been acknowledged much less confronted and solved.
And, there are other wrongs we saw; some we have never really discussed in fair-minded manner. All that awaits our ability to do so.
A.L.M. September 30, 2005 [c320wds]
