To many outside New Orleans, the disaster of Katrina has long been forgotten. Not so for those who, to this day, are struggling to piece together what they can as they find a way to right their own ship. Their mayor and the Federal government have been little to no help. They are, in many ways, pretty much on their own.
It must be at least a bit comforting then, when a federal judge found the Army Corps of Engineers’ poor maintenance led to some of the most disastrous flooding during and after Katrina. This event marks the first time that the government has been held liable for any of the events associated with the Katrina disaster.
The decision, if upheld, paves the way for government payment that could run at least into the tens of millions of dollars to homeowners who property was damaged or lost by water from the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MR-GO) navigation canal.
The court cited the “negligence of the corps” in its failure to maintain the MR-GO properly, calling the shortcoming an insouciance, the disaster a direct result of myopia and shortsightedness.
The government is expected to appeal the ruling. Corps spokesman Ken Holder notes that all claims are currently the subject of litigation before the federal district court in New Orleans, and that he expects no activity to be taken on any of the claims until such a time as the litigation is complete. Translation: don’t hold your breath; money isn’t forthcoming.
Nearly a half million Katrina born claims have been filed against the government and estimates show that the damages against the government could reach $500 billion.