Comments on: Trouble In The Big Muddy http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2008/07/02/trouble-in-the-big-muddy/ building teams . engineering careers Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:04:02 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: USACE Engineer http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2008/07/02/trouble-in-the-big-muddy/#comment-130 USACE Engineer Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:38:55 +0000 http://civilengineeringcentral.wordpress.com/?p=52#comment-130 I am and engineer with the USACE. I flood fought this last flood in June. I am so sick and tired of the Corps getting blamed for levee failures that we had nothing to do with. As mentioned, many of these levees were built by local farmers using ag equipment. We get involved when it floods because to do nothing at all would be worse. However, we are guilty by association. Just because I am out there in my red shirt flood fighting a particular levee, that levee automatically becomes a "federal levee". That is bull. If the public wants the levees to be built to Corps standards, pony up and get the funding set up. If the public doesn't want the levees there, then talk to the local land owners who's fields will flood and crops will be wiped out. The Corps doesn't tell the local landowners what to do. We don't own their land. We don't own the floodplain. We simply show up and help in a time of need. And for that we are blamed for the bad stuff the happens. If we are to blame for anything, it's for not standing up for ourselves and fighting the misconceptions! USACE Engineer I am and engineer with the USACE. I flood fought this last flood in June. I am so sick and tired of the Corps getting blamed for levee failures that we had nothing to do with. As mentioned, many of these levees were built by local farmers using ag equipment. We get involved when it floods because to do nothing at all would be worse. However, we are guilty by association. Just because I am out there in my red shirt flood fighting a particular levee, that levee automatically becomes a “federal levee”. That is bull.

If the public wants the levees to be built to Corps standards, pony up and get the funding set up. If the public doesn’t want the levees there, then talk to the local land owners who’s fields will flood and crops will be wiped out.

The Corps doesn’t tell the local landowners what to do. We don’t own their land. We don’t own the floodplain. We simply show up and help in a time of need. And for that we are blamed for the bad stuff the happens.

If we are to blame for anything, it’s for not standing up for ourselves and fighting the misconceptions!

USACE Engineer

]]> By: Eugene Manderky http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2008/07/02/trouble-in-the-big-muddy/#comment-114 Eugene Manderky Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:31:01 +0000 http://civilengineeringcentral.wordpress.com/?p=52#comment-114 Davis: I read that book. And I read this one. You need to read this one. It's better. Much better. Davis: I read that book. And I read this one. You need to read this one. It’s better. Much better.

]]> By: David Perrings, PE http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2008/07/02/trouble-in-the-big-muddy/#comment-113 David Perrings, PE Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:23:41 +0000 http://civilengineeringcentral.wordpress.com/?p=52#comment-113 The levee issue comes up every few years or so shortly after Humpty Dumpty has fallen off the wall and broke into pieces. But after the mess is cleaned up all is quiet, except for the people directly effected. There is a book by John M. Barry, titled "The Rising Tide, The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America that gives a very good accounting of the whole (hole) levee issue along with the history of Civil Engineering, Charles Eads, The Army Corp, race relations and the upper crust of New Orleans. I recommend reading the book very highly. As long as we continue to use a band-aid approach to the levees we are going to continue to need more band-aids in the future. David Perrings, PE The levee issue comes up every few years or so shortly after Humpty Dumpty has fallen off the wall and broke into pieces.
But after the mess is cleaned up all is quiet, except for the people directly effected.

There is a book by John M. Barry, titled “The Rising Tide, The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America that gives a very good accounting of the whole (hole) levee issue along with the history of Civil Engineering, Charles Eads, The Army Corp, race relations and the upper crust of New Orleans. I recommend reading the book very highly.

As long as we continue to use a band-aid approach to the levees we are going to continue to need more band-aids in the future.

David Perrings, PE

]]> By: MJ http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2008/07/02/trouble-in-the-big-muddy/#comment-110 MJ Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:16:36 +0000 http://civilengineeringcentral.wordpress.com/?p=52#comment-110 Great read. And very true Great read. And very true

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