Dimanche

Hurricane Katrina Cover-up: Junk Pumps~Jesselyn Radack
~Editilla tongues the pin of our Sanity Grenade~
Where the Hell is the Times-Picayune on this Failed Pumps story? Oh I forget, the T-P is Reducing Risk, Building Strong.
But we have No Canal Pumps this Hurricane Season?
We have No New Flood Walls this Hurricane Season?
While the Exquisite Corps builds yet another "Worlds Largest Pump" across the river, do we assume that that project will also proceed with just the same honesty and open budgets of Flood Funding that we find from the Office of Special Counsel?

Will the history books be accurate?~Stan Tiner
Dear Tiner,
Your opinion piece said: "Today we are not asking for volunteers to come or for more financial or material assistance, but what we do fervently wish is that history be recorded fully, accurately."
Amen.
The myths and misunderstandings about Katrina, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana are totally outrageous. We deserve the truth be recorded, but I worry the history books have already been written.
Most journalists parachuted in with their preconceived notions, pseudo facts, lazy but flowery language and consistently got it all amazingly wrong. Too many of our countrymen, politicians and so called journalists consider our pathetic situations to be nothing more than a partisan political issue.
The quick buck book authors got away with murder.

The tragic, border to border, complete destruction along the coast was impossible for nearly every one north of I-10 to comprehend. North of I-20? Forgetaboutit. Empty slabs just didn't photograph well enough. While everyone knew, and even witnessed, that the severe and damaging winds arrived long before the worst of the storm surge, very responsible families who religiously paid their homeowners premiums for decades were universally denied the product for which they paid and desperately needed to survive their losses. Folks spent weeks in totally destroyed communities without even being detected by disaster assistance government and Red Cross officials. They spent months in their tents waiting for a small hazardous tin can to call home while they tried to rebuild their lives.
Federal government homeowner rebuilding money often skipped the innocent families who needed it most. The beautiful serene Mississippi Gulf Coast and its wonderful people experienced one of the very worst natural disasters in our nation's history and hardly anyone even noticed or cared. It is more than enough to hurt your feelings. Your storm victims didn't even seem to get much empathy or understanding from Jackson.

On the bright side, at least the Gulf Coast isn't slandered by outsiders to the extent New Orleans suffers. The Gulf Coast even gets well deserved credit for their recovery efforts. At least the state of Mississippi seemed to receive nearly adequate federal funds in a timely manner for your storm losses along the coast.

Just as terribly wrong, New Orleans and its residents have been ruthlessly slandered like no American city has ever experienced anywhere else in our country. While official, well documented, negligent engineering by federal engineers in the design of our flood control structures and their foundations was absolutely the direct cause of our deaths, unprecedented and nearly total destruction, losses, discomforts and embarrassments, almost everyone everywhere thinks that dry, tame, west side of big bad Katrina 'overwhelmed' and 'devastated' New Orleans.
They believe our disaster was 'natural', us flood victims caused our flood, we deserved our fate and too many feel we should even be denied the right to exist. There are too many insulting and damaging myths about us to list here. Us levee failure victims didn't even seem to get much empathy or understanding from Baton Rouge.

Both Southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast deserve vindication and justice. We need the nation to know the truth. Outsiders cannot understand how all the misinformation has seriously disillusioned so many. Nor do they care.
The disturbingly wrong recording of history is insulting and has permanently scarred the psyche of both storm and levee failure victims. It's just wrong. Somehow, we must find a way to unite, organize and get the story out right.
Signed,
Crescent City Ray

Russell Honoré on Nola Crime, the La. National Guard and re-opening Charity Hospital
~we saw that

Renewable-energy companies growing in Louisiana
~Kathrine Schmidt

Wetlands pipeline would benefit Lafourche~Daily Comet

Feds Investigating Claims of Vigilantism in Post-Flood NOLA
~Patrik Jonsson

New Orleans Will Add First New Park Since Katrina

The tropics are quiet
~Dr Jeff Masters

5 Ways To Be Prepared for Costly Natural Disasters~Squawkfox

'Certifying' local levees could be costly endeavor
~Andre Stepankowsky
~Because of Mount St. Helens, the Cowlitz River is among the most studied waterways in the nation. And, with one possible exception, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined just last year that levees along the river still protect lower Cowlitz communities from 100-year floods. Nevertheless, a federal requirement that dikes across the nation be “certified” could cost local taxpayers hundreds of dollars each next year.

Big Insurance sets Sites on CA
~Also, reporting from Sacramento - As California heads into another season of wildfires that have been growing more frequent and more ferocious, homeowners are facing higher prices to insure their property.

Houma film crew earns a chance at Cannes

After Katrina, musically rich Treme is shrinking~Rose Stabler

Project 30-90 Festival lights up the river with green energy
~Dwayne Fatherree