HumidCity

HumidCity is once more proud to bring you Missives From Matt McBride. This episode is in response to a rather obnoxious column that includes a revelation concerning what a certain former Mayoral candidate (and then Nagin supporter) truly thinks of our efforts to bring our city back. -Loki

Source Article Here

“Will America’s breadbasket be fixed faster than America’s party town, brought to its knees by water-overwhelmed levees in August 2005?

Rob Couhig, 59, thinks it will, partly because of Midwestern self-reliance. He thinks they’re not about to sit around, wringing their hands, waiting for the government to bail them out, which, he says, sadly, was what his beloved home town did - and still does.

A no-nonsense corporate lawyer in an open-collar white shirt, Couhig is a commissioner on the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, and is thought by some to be one of the smartest men in town.”

“Talk-show host Robinette, a Cajun who devoted countless on-air hours to the danger of flooding before and after it happened, says that the city’s high ground, which was spared the flooding, exactly matched the boundaries of the original city. “If the engineers of 200 years ago knew those areas, you shouldn’t build there.”

This came in response to me asking if it is wise to rebuild the entire city.

To the same question, lawyer Couhig gave me an answer as long as a Ryan Howard home run, but didn’t directly answer.

“You’re saying ‘no,’ aren’t you?” I asked.

Couhig didn’t reply, but he smiled. I guess there are some things that you don’t want to be quoted as passing through your lips.”

The columnist gets things wrong too, assumedly from his chat with Garland Robinette:

“One who believes this to be true is 65-year-old Garland Robinette, a former TV anchor and now popular talk-show host on WWL-AM, which earned its bones by remaining on the air with emergency information after the TV stations drowned and the local paper couldn’t get delivered.”

In fact, the T-P stayed on line the whole time and was publishing within a couple of days. WWL-TV stayed on air continuously. Both won the most prestigious prizes in their respective fields for those feats; the T-P got a Pulitzer in 2006 and WWL-TV got a Columbia-DuPont prize in 2007.

Rob Couhig can be emailed at: couhigre@couhigpartners.com

Garland Robinette can be emailed at: grobinette@entercom.com

You can email the column’s author, Stu Bykofsky at stubyko@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5977, which is his direct line.

This column came out of a columnists conference held last week in New Orleans. Lt. Gov. Landrieu and Mayor Nagin spoke to the assembled ink-stained wretches. The organization that put it on, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, has high hopes for lots of columns to come out of the conference:

http://www.columnists.com/index.php?ID=2

“Since New Orleans’ attempt to recover from being virtually destroyed by Hurricane Katrina is one of the most dramatic stories of our generation, we’re expecting some great columns to come out of the conference.

“We plan on collecting these columns (with permission, of course) and assembling them in an attractive book. Current plans call for proceeds from the sale of the book to go to help the recovery effort, which still needs help almost three years after the storm and flood.“

If the rest of the columns are like this one, it’ll be a pretty thin book.

Matt McBride

Once more HumidCity is proud to syndicate the emails of engineer Matt McBride, the man who formerly helmed Fix The Pumps.

Dear New Orleanians,

There have been hints coming out of the Corps for quite a while that the permanent pump stations at the lakefront would be delayed even further than their current 2012 completion date. I think I might have found something conclusive that shows that. I could be off, but you never know…

First, take a look at a schedule of projects the Corps showed at a small business contractors’ gathering on April 23rd (go to page 10):

http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/ebs/SDVET/SDVET%20Presentations%20less%20SADBU.pdf

The line for permanent pump stations is somewhat jumbled, showing “pre-award” activities extending into the first quarter of 2009, but also showing construction beginning this fall, the third quarter of 2008. I believe the second line, showing construction, is the one that counts. It would seem that construction is anticipated to last 3.75 years, finishing up before June, 2012. This would be in line with most public statements from the Corps.

However, also in April the Corps placed a listing of all their hurricane protection contracts, including future ones, on their website:

http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/hps/pdf/Upcoming_Contracts/Potential_Upcoming_Contracts_16_Apr_08.pdf

If you scroll to the bottom of page 3, you’ll see the listing for the contract for the permanent pump stations. It is shown as getting awarded in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2009. That would appear to be significantly later - possibly a year after what the other schedule shows. If one assumes the same duration of construction, then a year of delay at the start means a year of delay at the end.

The Corps has publicly promised the permanent pump stations would be done by the beginning of the 2012 hurricane season. However, if the very detailed April 16, 2008 schedule is to be believed, it would appear that:

1) That deadline has been pushed back a year

or

2) The Corps has figured out how to shave a year off the construction schedule.

There have been other subtle hints that the permanent pump stations might get delayed. They include:

- A solicitation issued last month for cranes at the current floodgates included an option for rental of those cranes through the entire 2012 hurricane season. If the permanent pump stations were to be in place by 2012, there would be no need for those cranes. Here’s the solicitation:

https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=75973f5a51e052b17f21efe2c6b67698&tab=core&_cview=0

- Also, note Colonel Starkel’s hesitancy at the end of this June 1, 2008 interview on WWL-TV when asked when the permanent pump stations would be finished:

http://www.wwltv.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=250644

His exact words are “we’re looking about 2012.”

- Completion of the Individual Environmental Report for the stations has been repeatedly delayed, with an April public meeting pushed back to July. An article in the Times-Picayune last week mentioned that the report will be delayed again, likely meaning a further postponement of the July meeting (which was intended to outline the contents of the report).

- The Corps transferred most of the appropriated funds out of the permanent pump station project to pay for the Industrial Canal closure project (that contract was awarded in April). The pump station account is currently nearly empty. The replacement funds are tied up in the Emergency War Supplemental bill now wending its way through Congress. President Bush has vowed to veto that bill for reasons unrelated to the Corps funding. The Corps has said publicly that if they don’t have funds on October 1 of this year, projects (like the pump stations) would definitely get delayed.

- Finally, it took the Corps over a year to award the design-build contract for the Industrial Canal closure project. The permanent pump stations are of the same scale, and the Corps does not appear to have begun the bidding process yet.

All signals point to further delays on this project.

If I’m wrong, then the Corps needs to come out publicly and say with certainty that those stations will be there June 1, 2012. They also need to explain why one of their schedules shows a year difference from another of their schedules.

One has to wonder if the stations will get built at all?

Matt McBride

Once more HumidCity is proud to syndicate the emails of engineer Matt McBride, the man who formerly helmed Fix The Pumps.

Dear New Orleanians,

Apparently the Corps New Orleans District is trying to allay fears about leaks through their levees, according to a press conference held today.

“‘We want to put to rest the concerns with seepage,’ Durham-Aguilera said…’We are talking about a way of working collaboratively with the levee authority to decide how to implement peer review, whether to use individuals from academia or a think tank.’”

One of the best ways to do that would be to force the public release of the final report on the London Avenue canal load test, held last summer. That report has already been through independent peer review.

The report’s release has been delayed repeatedly since at least March of this year. At the May 15th East Bank Levee Authority meeting, a member of the Authority asked about the report, and was told by Colonel Bedey it would be out by June 1, which is three days away. Is the Corps holding the report back? Probably so.

The report undoubtedly contains a great deal of information about seepage in existing floodwalls, as that’s what the load test was all about. Getting it released would definitely shine light on what the Corps currently knows about leaks through levees and floodwalls, much more so than a press conference and vague promises of future reviews. They’ve already got the information, so why not put it out there?

Matt

Once again HumidCity is proud to syndicate the bulletins of Matt McBride. Formerly the Blogger of Fix the Pumps fame, this engineer with an eye for details is our city’s best defense against the outright and life threatening dishonesty of the Corps of Engineers. Ladies and gentlemen, Matt McBride! -Loki, Founder and Chief Blog Wrangler, HumidCity.

https://eportal.usace.army.mil/sites/Blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=23

He talks about rebuilding trust with New Orleanians. He also says that New Orleans is the Corps’ top domestic priority. Then why wasn’t his Tuesday visit to New Orleans trumpeted all over the local media? In fact, the only mention I could find came in the middle of a NY Times article about the Qatari Emir’s visit on Tuesday.

“Sheik Hamad said he was particularly touched by what happened here, as he explained in halting but resourceful English, in an interview at his hotel…Sheik Hamad, not used to the attention, submitted patiently to questions while aides swirled about him. Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, came to visit. Then it was off, police sirens blaring, through the streets of New Orleans.”

Compare that to the enormous attention Van Antwerp got during his well-choreographed two day visit on the eve of the 2007 hurricane season, when he held a press conference on the Old Hammond Highway bridge in front of the 17th St canal gates. That produced a front page article inthe T-P and TV stories galore.

This time, there wasn’t even a press release from the Corps’ own New Orleans office.

Considering that the Qatari Emir was not in town to see earthworks, but hospitals, schools, and housing, I think it may have just been coincidence Van Antwerp met with him. Or perhaps he wanted to talk about base construction in Qatar. But it seems likely that if Van Antwerp really wanted to make a big deal of his visit to New Orleans and rebuild trust, he could have. But he didn’t.

Matt

This content is syndicated from the email by Matt McBride, formerly at the helm of Fix The Pumps. -Loki

Dear New Orleanians,

The Corps has released the preliminary version of their category 5 study:

http://lacpr.usace.army.mil/default.aspx

or the direct link:

http://lacpr.usace.army.mil/default.aspx?p=LACPR_Draft_Technical_Report

They had promised this to the public (after missing their 12/31/07 deadline) on February 8th, as seen here:

http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/pao/Video/WLAE_Col_Lee_080115.wmv

I went and checked on March 7th, and it hadn’t yet appeared on the LaCPR site. But it’s there now.

By the way, the study doesn’t actually make any recommendations. In fact, here’s an excerpt from the end of the report:

“Efforts to date do not point to a single effective risk reduction strategy. No single strategy for comprehensive hurricane damage risk reduction, other than entirely abandoning communities in South Louisiana, will guarantee safety for the population along the coast.”

Basically, what this study has done is just collect all the alternatives, so that more meetings can be held. The Corps has placed a paragraph in the report meant to blunt criticism that the public was expecting recommendations from this report, and there are none (and, yes, I am aware that was reported earlier, but that doesn’t mean that every member of the public in South Louisiana will remember or care about it):

“Congress also directed a technical report rather than a reconnaissance or feasibility report as described by normal USACE policy. The technical report will contain many of the same components as a reconnaissance or feasibility report, such as presenting the results of the formulation and evaluation of alternatives. As outlined by the Congressional direction, the technical report will contain a ‘comprehensive hurricane protection analysis and design…to develop and present a full range of flood control, coastal restoration, and hurricane protection measures…for comprehensive Category 5 protection.’”

Expect to see that argument when people start asking, “why are there no recommendations other than, ‘have more meetings?’”

Matt

Dear New Orleanians,

I have confirmed that there is a written policy change to the Relocation Assistance program now making its way through the Disaster Assistance Directorate at FEMA. I do not know the exact contents of the change, but have strong indications that the eligibility date for reimbursement of moving expenses has been moved to a date earlier than February 1, 2006, potentially making many thousands of people eligible for up to $4000 in FEMA funds.

The policy change has to go through five layers of bueracracy before it is issued. It has currently made it past two of those layers:

5) Individual and Households Program (which is where it originated)

4) Human Services Division

As of Friday, September 14, it was on the desk of the policy shop for the Disaster Assistance Directorate:

3) Program Management Section

After that, it has to work its way through two more layers:

2) Individual Assistance

1) Office of the Director for Disaster Assistance

In terms of how the government works, this is pretty speedy. I’ll keep you updated as events warrant.

Matt McBride via email

The second annual Rising Tide conference will be held August 24-26, 2007, at the New Orleans Yacht Club. This is a NOLA blogger-organized and supported conference featuring speakers, panels, breakout sessions, and other dialogs on the future of the city of New Orleans.

This year’s emphasis is on ground-level, grass-roots efforts. It has become clear to those of us in south Louisiana that we will have to watch the watchmen, as well as take the upper hand is setting the city back on track. To that end, there will be presentations on local politics and how to influence them, making civics sexy, sustainability, levee engineering, and media outreach.

The keynote speaker is Dave Zirin, author of Welcome to the Terrordome, published by Haymarket Press, a columnist for SLAM Magazine, a regular contributor to the Nation Magazine, and a regular op-ed writer for the Los Angeles Times. Timothy Ruppert, president of the Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, will give a comprehensive report on the status of our levee protection two years after the failure of the federal levees brought catastrophe to New Orleans. Matt McBride of Fix the Pumps will present via video conference. Panelists will include community activists Karen Gadbois of Squandered Heritage, Bart Everson of b.rox, and Peter Athas of Adrastos, muckraking blogger Mark Moseley of Your Right Hand Thief, New Orleans political sage Michael Duplantier and author Joshua Clark Heart Like Water

On Friday, August 24, there will be a party at Buffa’s Lounge featuring the work of New Orleans videographers, and Sunday is reserved for a hands-on service project in aid of the NOLA school system. At the Buffa’s party, we are serving cocktail party-type food, but there will be a cash bar.The weekend’s events costs $20 per person. This includes admission to the Friday night party at Buffa’s, Saturday’s events at the New Orleans Yacht Club (including morning coffee and croissants and lunch from Dunbar’s), and participation in the Sunday service project. Please register to attend using the PayPal link on the website. If you don’t use PayPal, feel free to call or e-mail me to reserve your space at the conference and, more importantly, your lunch from Dunbar’s. We have no problem with people paying at the door, we just need to know that you are coming.

There will, f  course, be liveblogging of the event, and materials available online. If you can’t come, there is also a paypal link if you'd care to donate (this is a non-profit endeavor). Feel free to contact us through the website, or ask questions by replying to this e-mail. Rising Tide’s toll-free phone number is: 866-910-2055.

Although I am sending this e-mail to over 200 people, I’m sure I’m missing some. Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested. Unless they have a blog or have expressed interest in the past, they are probably not on my e-mail list. Also, bloggers, please spread the word on your blogs!

Right now I am busier than MWI trying to cover its behind so this will be short.

The latest dangerous and deceitful actions by the Corps of Engineers continue to put the lives of New Orleans residents at risk. This cannot be tolerated! MWI, the politically connected company who installed these faulty pumps has already begun their attempt at damage control on the issue (See Spoko’s Brain for their lawyer’s response and in depth analysis) Lo and behold, they have associations with Jeb Bush! Sorry Jeb, the only Bush we tolerate here anymore is Reggie. You have your brother George W. to thank for that! As to J. David Eller (MWI’s owner and Jeb’s former business partner), your political cntributions will not shield you from the truth.

We cannot allow the hard facts presented to be spun for the media. Adherance to cold, hard facts is paramount to our continued existence. I strongly encourage all the bloggers out there to jump on this, and also to be prepard for the backlash. According to the original memo 50% have experienced catastrophic failure. That is straight from a memo whose authenticity has been verified by the Corps of Engineers!

Write your congressmen, senators and media. Make some noise, hold them accountable, and do not act like the invertebrates of the Democratic Party (show some backbone)! This is not partisan, it is life or death!

Fix The Pumps, it is requred reading. Facts are what we need and Matt McBride is providing them.

The Infamous memo that Matt Mcbride leaked to the media, the one that caused all the media outlets to jump on the “defective pumps,” bandwagon. Where is it, what does it actually say?

Well, if you go here you will find it. How much “mea culpa,” on paper does it take before we can force the Corps to be held accountable?

This is a great example of why blogging is important, the media has consistently been months behind on most stories nd usually seems to cull their material from the local blogs. Damn fine to see a local blogger once again being the whistle blower. Tell him thanks when you stop by his site, he more than deserves it!!!

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