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Friday, January 18, 2008
12:00 PM EST
Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina: What Went Wrong and Why
Robert B. Gilbert, P.E., Ph.D., M.ASCE, Professor and Phil M. Ferguson Fellow of Civil Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
Much of the destruction from Hurricane Katrina was caused not by the storm itself, but by a series of engineering and engineering related policy failures. The levees and floodwalls breached because of a combination of unfortunate choices and decisions, made over many years, at almost all levels of responsibility. There were two direct causes of the levee breaches. First, several levees with concrete floodwalls collapsed because of the way they were designed. Second, many levees and floodwalls were overtopped by water pouring over them eroding their foundations. However, there were also many indirect causes as well. During this presentation, Dr. Gilbert will describe other key additional failures that strongly contributed to the levee failures. The lessons learned from Katrina go beyond the issues of levees in Southeast Louisiana. Gilbert will also discuss how these lessons should cause all civil engineers to bring about shifts in the way they approach projects that impact public health, safety, and welfare. These shifts include developing a better understanding of risk and safety, reevaluating and fixing hurricane- and flood-protection systems throughout the United States, and demanding engineering quality.
As a member of ASCE’s External Review Panel, which was assembled to provide an independent assessment of the performance evaluation of the New Orleans hurricane protection system being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force, Dr. Gilbert will also summarize the findings and conclusions of the External Review Panel.
Friday, February 1, 2008
12:00 PM EST
Setting the Stage for Effective Long-Term Recovery
Deborah D. Keller, P.E., Director of Port Development, Port of New Orleans
This presentation will describe the challenges the Port of New Orleans faced after Hurricane Katrina and lessons learned. The presentation includes a brief overview of the devastation to private property and public infrastructure, with an emphasis on port facilities (including the four bridges the port owns and operates). The presentation also features a summary of the lessons taught by America's largest natural disaster and the role of the engineer as manager of transportation, infrastructure, and critical facilities before, during, and after a disaster. Since most government officials are accustomed to strategic planning, organized project management, and operations, dealing with the long-term recovery issues after the first responders leave is not an area that civil engineers as managers have experience or training about until it happens. The presentation also includes an overview of ASCE External Review Panel’s recently released lessons learned and summarizes the scientific facts the investigation found that debunk the myths and public perceptions regarding the storm.
Deborah Keller, P.E., is Director of Port Development at the Port of New Orleans where she is responsible for engineering, construction, technical services, facility maintenance, and bridges. Keller has been involved with more than $400 million of port capital improvement projects in her port career, and is currently involved with the $160 million in damages sustained by the Port from Hurricane Katrina. Keller graduated from Tulane University with a B.S. degree in civil engineering and received a M.S. degree in engineering management from the University of New Orleans. Keller is a Louisiana licensed professional civil engineer with nearly 30 years experience in the planning, design, construction, and management of public works projects. As a member of the St. Bernard Parish Planning Commission and the St. Bernard Parish Economic Development Commission, Keller is very active in the recovery of her community which suffered massive devastation from Hurricane Katrina. Keller is a past president of several organizations, including the ASCE New Orleans Branch, and she is currently a member of the Louisiana Federation of Business and Professional Women and the American Planning Association. Keller has been the recipient of several awards including Outstanding Government Engineer for New Orleans, Distinguished Engineering Alumnus of the University of New Orleans, and has been named a Woman of the Year by various organizations.
Friday, March 7, 2008
12:00 PM EST
Public Water Supply Lessons Learned in Katrina’s Aftermath
William Moody, P.E., B.C.E.E., Director of Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund, Mississippi State Department of Health
This presentation will focus on the Mississippi State Department of Health’s Bureau of Public Water Supply activities undertaken in response to Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina left much of the Mississippi Gulf Coast devastated. It left homes, schools, community centers, and public infrastructure damaged or completely destroyed. Against great odds, the water utilities in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Region recovered amazingly well in a fairly short period of time. The range of damage for Mississippi’s coastal water supplies went from minor damage to complete destruction. This presentation will examine the response by the Bureau of Public Water Supply to help the water supplies return to service. It will also outline problems that arose during the aftermath and steps taken to alleviate them. And finally, it will discuss the lessons that were learned during the recovery process that have been used to refine future emergency response.
William (Bill) F. Moody, P.E., B.C.E.E., is the Director of the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund with the Mississippi State Department of Health – Bureau of Public Water Supply. He is responsible for the administration and project management of the Drinking Water Improvements and Emergency Loan Fund Programs within the State of Mississippi. Bill graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in chemical engineering. Bill is a licensed engineer in the state of Mississippi and recently became a Board Certified Environmental Engineer. He has over ten years of experience in the public water supply field. He is currently Vice-Chair with the Alabama-Mississippi Section of the American Water Works Association.