Jared Orsi
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520238503
- eISBN:
- 9780520930087
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520238503.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
The Los Angeles River was a picture of hydraulic order in the 1960s, attributed to the involvement of the Army Corps of Engineers. The corps brought considerable technical expertise and badly needed ...
More
The Los Angeles River was a picture of hydraulic order in the 1960s, attributed to the involvement of the Army Corps of Engineers. The corps brought considerable technical expertise and badly needed federal money to bear on a problem that had confounded local efforts for more than two decades. But the emphasis on the corps's contributions is something of a deus ex machina, the engineering version of the cavalry inevitably riding to the rescue at the end of some 1950s Western movie. That emphasis misses the deeper questions of why the corps got involved at all and what enabled the federal engineers to have so much apparent success in taming the waters. In short, praising the technical wizardry of the Army Corps is accurate but incomplete; it obscures the many contingent factors of politics and climate that limited the range of options that could be imagined and implemented and that facilitated the engineers' success. These questions are important because within a decade, many southern Californians, including some engineers, were doubting whether the accomplishments of the midcentury technocracy were triumphs at all.Less
The Los Angeles River was a picture of hydraulic order in the 1960s, attributed to the involvement of the Army Corps of Engineers. The corps brought considerable technical expertise and badly needed federal money to bear on a problem that had confounded local efforts for more than two decades. But the emphasis on the corps's contributions is something of a deus ex machina, the engineering version of the cavalry inevitably riding to the rescue at the end of some 1950s Western movie. That emphasis misses the deeper questions of why the corps got involved at all and what enabled the federal engineers to have so much apparent success in taming the waters. In short, praising the technical wizardry of the Army Corps is accurate but incomplete; it obscures the many contingent factors of politics and climate that limited the range of options that could be imagined and implemented and that facilitated the engineers' success. These questions are important because within a decade, many southern Californians, including some engineers, were doubting whether the accomplishments of the midcentury technocracy were triumphs at all.
Daniel McCool
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231161312
- eISBN:
- 9780231504416
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231161312.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
This chapter examines the history of American river development through one of its major proponents, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers is one of the oldest agencies in the ...
More
This chapter examines the history of American river development through one of its major proponents, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers is one of the oldest agencies in the federal government, created when Washington, DC, was both literally and figuratively a swamp. By 1824 the principal transportation corridor linking together the growing nation was the Mississippi River and its largest tributary, the Ohio. Congress ordered the Corps to rid those rivers of dangerous “planters, sawyers or snags.” This was the beginning of a long era of expansion for the Corps—an era that has yet to end. The Corps adopted the motto “Building Strong,” intended as a reference to the durability of its construction works, but also a telling metaphor for the political relationships the Corps has nurtured over two centuries. Among its projects are Elk Creek Dam in Oregon and the Kissimmee River restoration project in Florida.Less
This chapter examines the history of American river development through one of its major proponents, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers is one of the oldest agencies in the federal government, created when Washington, DC, was both literally and figuratively a swamp. By 1824 the principal transportation corridor linking together the growing nation was the Mississippi River and its largest tributary, the Ohio. Congress ordered the Corps to rid those rivers of dangerous “planters, sawyers or snags.” This was the beginning of a long era of expansion for the Corps—an era that has yet to end. The Corps adopted the motto “Building Strong,” intended as a reference to the durability of its construction works, but also a telling metaphor for the political relationships the Corps has nurtured over two centuries. Among its projects are Elk Creek Dam in Oregon and the Kissimmee River restoration project in Florida.
Daniel McCool
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231161312
- eISBN:
- 9780231504416
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231161312.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
This chapter examines how barging diminished the value of American rivers as a natural resource and instead allocated them to narrow, extractive uses. America's experience with canals clearly ...
More
This chapter examines how barging diminished the value of American rivers as a natural resource and instead allocated them to narrow, extractive uses. America's experience with canals clearly demonstrated that transportation choices made in one era did not necessarily make good sense in subsequent eras. Despite the failure of most canal schemes, America pursued its dream of a nationwide waterway system. Rivers were so important to commerce that in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln made it a priority to open the Mississippi River to northern ships. Today, rivers that have been abused as a convenient sewage dump or industrial corridor are being recognized as thin threads of pastoral beauty. Some city riverfronts have been born again, but others languish in neglect. Yet the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the barge industry continue to argue for even more waterways and dams.Less
This chapter examines how barging diminished the value of American rivers as a natural resource and instead allocated them to narrow, extractive uses. America's experience with canals clearly demonstrated that transportation choices made in one era did not necessarily make good sense in subsequent eras. Despite the failure of most canal schemes, America pursued its dream of a nationwide waterway system. Rivers were so important to commerce that in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln made it a priority to open the Mississippi River to northern ships. Today, rivers that have been abused as a convenient sewage dump or industrial corridor are being recognized as thin threads of pastoral beauty. Some city riverfronts have been born again, but others languish in neglect. Yet the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the barge industry continue to argue for even more waterways and dams.
William W. Buzbee
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801451904
- eISBN:
- 9780801470301
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801451904.003.0011
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
This chapter examines how governor Mario Cuomo and other Westway champions tried to short-circuit the regulatory process through two different strategic moves. While political investigations into the ...
More
This chapter examines how governor Mario Cuomo and other Westway champions tried to short-circuit the regulatory process through two different strategic moves. While political investigations into the earlier Westway debacles proceeded, Westway's supporters remained in a remand process, which nevertheless risked the project's momentum—if not outright defeat—thus prompting Westway supporters to initiate two end-run gambits which resulted in a short-term advantage but quickly put Westway into further jeopardy. The first and most powerful of these strategic end runs was a federal legislative subterfuge reportedly instigated by Governor Cuomo himself. The second Cuomo strategic effort to sidestep judicial and regulatory hurdles to Westway involved circumventing the usual sequence for Army Corps of Engineers decision making.Less
This chapter examines how governor Mario Cuomo and other Westway champions tried to short-circuit the regulatory process through two different strategic moves. While political investigations into the earlier Westway debacles proceeded, Westway's supporters remained in a remand process, which nevertheless risked the project's momentum—if not outright defeat—thus prompting Westway supporters to initiate two end-run gambits which resulted in a short-term advantage but quickly put Westway into further jeopardy. The first and most powerful of these strategic end runs was a federal legislative subterfuge reportedly instigated by Governor Cuomo himself. The second Cuomo strategic effort to sidestep judicial and regulatory hurdles to Westway involved circumventing the usual sequence for Army Corps of Engineers decision making.
Daniel McCool
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231161312
- eISBN:
- 9780231504416
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231161312.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
This chapter examines how flood control diminished the value of American rivers as a natural resource and instead allocated them to narrow, extractive uses. The federal government warns that floods ...
More
This chapter examines how flood control diminished the value of American rivers as a natural resource and instead allocated them to narrow, extractive uses. The federal government warns that floods are “America's number one natural disaster,” but the only thing natural about them is the rise in water level; the resulting destruction can be attributed to humans. But that is small consolation to those who, perhaps unwittingly, make their homes in the path of a moving wall of water. This is why levees are built, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The construction of a levee is relatively simple, as is the politics of levee building. There are flood management structures all over the nation, but nowhere is the titanic struggle between low-lying people and high-flying water more dramatic than in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. It is an illusion to think that the Mississippi River can be effectively controlled. The best we can hope for is river restoration and a powerful lesson about what happens when we try to force big rivers into narrow ditches.Less
This chapter examines how flood control diminished the value of American rivers as a natural resource and instead allocated them to narrow, extractive uses. The federal government warns that floods are “America's number one natural disaster,” but the only thing natural about them is the rise in water level; the resulting destruction can be attributed to humans. But that is small consolation to those who, perhaps unwittingly, make their homes in the path of a moving wall of water. This is why levees are built, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The construction of a levee is relatively simple, as is the politics of levee building. There are flood management structures all over the nation, but nowhere is the titanic struggle between low-lying people and high-flying water more dramatic than in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. It is an illusion to think that the Mississippi River can be effectively controlled. The best we can hope for is river restoration and a powerful lesson about what happens when we try to force big rivers into narrow ditches.
David Todd Lawrence and Elaine J. Lawless
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496817730
- eISBN:
- 9781496817778
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496817730.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Race and Ethnicity
In this chapter, the authors analyze two narratives about the levee breach. One narrative comprises the official version of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an entity of the federal government, and ...
More
In this chapter, the authors analyze two narratives about the levee breach. One narrative comprises the official version of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an entity of the federal government, and the other is comprised of the oral narratives related to us by the displaced residents of Pinhook. We argue, the stories shared with us by the displaced residents of Pinhook offer a reliable counter-narrative to that fashioned by the government and legal entities, one that did not acknowledge Pinhook’s existence in the spillway at the time of the flood, does not acknowledge the government culpability for the destruction of Pinhook, and has not shared in the responsibility for restitution to the African American farmers who lived there.Less
In this chapter, the authors analyze two narratives about the levee breach. One narrative comprises the official version of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an entity of the federal government, and the other is comprised of the oral narratives related to us by the displaced residents of Pinhook. We argue, the stories shared with us by the displaced residents of Pinhook offer a reliable counter-narrative to that fashioned by the government and legal entities, one that did not acknowledge Pinhook’s existence in the spillway at the time of the flood, does not acknowledge the government culpability for the destruction of Pinhook, and has not shared in the responsibility for restitution to the African American farmers who lived there.
William W. Buzbee
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801451904
- eISBN:
- 9780801470301
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801451904.003.0011
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
This chapter examines how governor Mario Cuomo and other Westway champions tried to short-circuit the regulatory process through two different strategic moves. While political investigations into ...
More
This chapter examines how governor Mario Cuomo and other Westway champions tried to short-circuit the regulatory process through two different strategic moves. While political investigations into the earlier Westway debacles proceeded, Westway's supporters remained in a remand process, which nevertheless risked the project's momentum—if not outright defeat—thus prompting Westway supporters to initiate two end-run gambits which resulted in a short-term advantage but quickly put Westway into further jeopardy. The first and most powerful of these strategic end runs was a federal legislative subterfuge reportedly instigated by Governor Cuomo himself. The second Cuomo strategic effort to sidestep judicial and regulatory hurdles to Westway involved circumventing the usual sequence for Army Corps of Engineers decision making.
Less
This chapter examines how governor Mario Cuomo and other Westway champions tried to short-circuit the regulatory process through two different strategic moves. While political investigations into the earlier Westway debacles proceeded, Westway's supporters remained in a remand process, which nevertheless risked the project's momentum—if not outright defeat—thus prompting Westway supporters to initiate two end-run gambits which resulted in a short-term advantage but quickly put Westway into further jeopardy. The first and most powerful of these strategic end runs was a federal legislative subterfuge reportedly instigated by Governor Cuomo himself. The second Cuomo strategic effort to sidestep judicial and regulatory hurdles to Westway involved circumventing the usual sequence for Army Corps of Engineers decision making.
William W. Buzbee
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801451904
- eISBN:
- 9780801470301
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801451904.003.0014
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
This chapter considers the aftermath of the trial examined in previous chapters by analyzing some legal close calls on Westway's side. Because the Army Corps had granted the Westway permit and the ...
More
This chapter considers the aftermath of the trial examined in previous chapters by analyzing some legal close calls on Westway's side. Because the Army Corps had granted the Westway permit and the federal natural resource agencies had not played their objections up the executive branch hierarchy, the opponents still faced an uphill battle. Moreover, the norms of judicial deference were complicated here by numerous environmentally protective statutory and regulatory provisions that required worst-case assumptions, permit denials when faced with uncertainty, and prohibitions against avoidable or harmful fill in rivers like the Hudson. The chapter shows how the courts and the lawyers worked to sort out these issues.Less
This chapter considers the aftermath of the trial examined in previous chapters by analyzing some legal close calls on Westway's side. Because the Army Corps had granted the Westway permit and the federal natural resource agencies had not played their objections up the executive branch hierarchy, the opponents still faced an uphill battle. Moreover, the norms of judicial deference were complicated here by numerous environmentally protective statutory and regulatory provisions that required worst-case assumptions, permit denials when faced with uncertainty, and prohibitions against avoidable or harmful fill in rivers like the Hudson. The chapter shows how the courts and the lawyers worked to sort out these issues.
Christine A. Klein and Sandra B. Zellmer
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479825387
- eISBN:
- 9781479807475
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479825387.003.0007
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History
This chapter first describes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' efforts to prevent the Mississippi River from changing its course. With authorization from Congress in 1954, the Corps declared “We are ...
More
This chapter first describes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' efforts to prevent the Mississippi River from changing its course. With authorization from Congress in 1954, the Corps declared “We are fighting Mother Nature,” and “The health of our economy depends on victory.” By 1963, the Corps completed a $1 billion series of locks, dams, and floodgates known as the Old River Control Structure. The chapter then discusses the immunity provision of the 1928 Flood Control Act, which shielded the Corps from responsibility “of any kind … for any damage from or by floods or flood waters at any place”; the Corps' efforts to fortify New Orleans against floods; and the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, which established a a joint private–government flood insurance program, known as the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).Less
This chapter first describes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' efforts to prevent the Mississippi River from changing its course. With authorization from Congress in 1954, the Corps declared “We are fighting Mother Nature,” and “The health of our economy depends on victory.” By 1963, the Corps completed a $1 billion series of locks, dams, and floodgates known as the Old River Control Structure. The chapter then discusses the immunity provision of the 1928 Flood Control Act, which shielded the Corps from responsibility “of any kind … for any damage from or by floods or flood waters at any place”; the Corps' efforts to fortify New Orleans against floods; and the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, which established a a joint private–government flood insurance program, known as the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
William W. Buzbee
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801451904
- eISBN:
- 9780801470301
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801451904.003.0014
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
This chapter considers the aftermath of the trial examined in previous chapters by analyzing some legal close calls on Westway's side. Because the Army Corps had granted the Westway permit and the ...
More
This chapter considers the aftermath of the trial examined in previous chapters by analyzing some legal close calls on Westway's side. Because the Army Corps had granted the Westway permit and the federal natural resource agencies had not played their objections up the executive branch hierarchy, the opponents still faced an uphill battle. Moreover, the norms of judicial deference were complicated here by numerous environmentally protective statutory and regulatory provisions that required worst-case assumptions, permit denials when faced with uncertainty, and prohibitions against avoidable or harmful fill in rivers like the Hudson. The chapter shows how the courts and the lawyers worked to sort out these issues.
Less
This chapter considers the aftermath of the trial examined in previous chapters by analyzing some legal close calls on Westway's side. Because the Army Corps had granted the Westway permit and the federal natural resource agencies had not played their objections up the executive branch hierarchy, the opponents still faced an uphill battle. Moreover, the norms of judicial deference were complicated here by numerous environmentally protective statutory and regulatory provisions that required worst-case assumptions, permit denials when faced with uncertainty, and prohibitions against avoidable or harmful fill in rivers like the Hudson. The chapter shows how the courts and the lawyers worked to sort out these issues.
William W. Buzbee
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801451904
- eISBN:
- 9780801470301
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801451904.003.0013
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
This chapter describes the critical cross-examination conducted by the opposition's lawyer, Mitchell Bernard, on the supporters' expert witness, scientist William Dovel. The trial was the focus of ...
More
This chapter describes the critical cross-examination conducted by the opposition's lawyer, Mitchell Bernard, on the supporters' expert witness, scientist William Dovel. The trial was the focus of Westway partisans, and Dovel became the most important witness. His testimony offered some glimpses of weakness, perhaps most obviously with his possible overconfidence when all other scientists conceded uncertainty. But Dovel also helped by offering the only expert validation, outside the Army Corps, for the conclusion that Westway posed no significant risks to striped bass. The question at thisd point was whether his views and certitude could hold up under Bernard's questioning, which the chapter recounts in depth.Less
This chapter describes the critical cross-examination conducted by the opposition's lawyer, Mitchell Bernard, on the supporters' expert witness, scientist William Dovel. The trial was the focus of Westway partisans, and Dovel became the most important witness. His testimony offered some glimpses of weakness, perhaps most obviously with his possible overconfidence when all other scientists conceded uncertainty. But Dovel also helped by offering the only expert validation, outside the Army Corps, for the conclusion that Westway posed no significant risks to striped bass. The question at thisd point was whether his views and certitude could hold up under Bernard's questioning, which the chapter recounts in depth.
Christine A. Klein and Sandra B. Zellmer
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479825387
- eISBN:
- 9781479807475
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479825387.003.0007
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History
This chapter first describes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' efforts to prevent the Mississippi River from changing its course. With authorization from Congress in 1954, the Corps declared “We are ...
More
This chapter first describes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' efforts to prevent the Mississippi River from changing its course. With authorization from Congress in 1954, the Corps declared “We are fighting Mother Nature,” and “The health of our economy depends on victory.” By 1963, the Corps completed a $1 billion series of locks, dams, and floodgates known as the Old River Control Structure. The chapter then discusses the immunity provision of the 1928 Flood Control Act, which shielded the Corps from responsibility “of any kind … for any damage from or by floods or flood waters at any place”; the Corps' efforts to fortify New Orleans against floods; and the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, which established a a joint private–government flood insurance program, known as the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Less
This chapter first describes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' efforts to prevent the Mississippi River from changing its course. With authorization from Congress in 1954, the Corps declared “We are fighting Mother Nature,” and “The health of our economy depends on victory.” By 1963, the Corps completed a $1 billion series of locks, dams, and floodgates known as the Old River Control Structure. The chapter then discusses the immunity provision of the 1928 Flood Control Act, which shielded the Corps from responsibility “of any kind … for any damage from or by floods or flood waters at any place”; the Corps' efforts to fortify New Orleans against floods; and the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, which established a a joint private–government flood insurance program, known as the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
William W. Buzbee
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801451904
- eISBN:
- 9780801470301
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801451904.003.0013
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
This chapter describes the critical cross-examination conducted by the opposition's lawyer, Mitchell Bernard, on the supporters' expert witness, scientist William Dovel. The trial was the focus of ...
More
This chapter describes the critical cross-examination conducted by the opposition's lawyer, Mitchell Bernard, on the supporters' expert witness, scientist William Dovel. The trial was the focus of Westway partisans, and Dovel became the most important witness. His testimony offered some glimpses of weakness, perhaps most obviously with his possible overconfidence when all other scientists conceded uncertainty. But Dovel also helped by offering the only expert validation, outside the Army Corps, for the conclusion that Westway posed no significant risks to striped bass. The question at thisd point was whether his views and certitude could hold up under Bernard's questioning, which the chapter recounts in depth.
Less
This chapter describes the critical cross-examination conducted by the opposition's lawyer, Mitchell Bernard, on the supporters' expert witness, scientist William Dovel. The trial was the focus of Westway partisans, and Dovel became the most important witness. His testimony offered some glimpses of weakness, perhaps most obviously with his possible overconfidence when all other scientists conceded uncertainty. But Dovel also helped by offering the only expert validation, outside the Army Corps, for the conclusion that Westway posed no significant risks to striped bass. The question at thisd point was whether his views and certitude could hold up under Bernard's questioning, which the chapter recounts in depth.
Christine A. Klein and Sandra B. Zellmer
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479825387
- eISBN:
- 9781479807475
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479825387.003.0009
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History
This chapter focuses on the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and its aftermath. Katrina raged across a 93,000 square mile area with sustained winds of up to about 125 miles per hour. ...
More
This chapter focuses on the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and its aftermath. Katrina raged across a 93,000 square mile area with sustained winds of up to about 125 miles per hour. It triggered an immense storm surge along the northern Gulf Coast—topping out at about twenty-seven feet in some areas. An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was awash in floodwater up to twenty feet deep. Katrina made history as the deadliest hurricane since 1928, killing directly or indirectly at least 1,800 people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Hurricane Katrina reinforced the central lesson of the flood of 1927: when flood control structures fail, they exacerbate greatly the damage caused by natural storms. Ultimately, the Army Corps of Engineers accepted a large dose of responsibility for the failure of levees and floodwalls.Less
This chapter focuses on the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and its aftermath. Katrina raged across a 93,000 square mile area with sustained winds of up to about 125 miles per hour. It triggered an immense storm surge along the northern Gulf Coast—topping out at about twenty-seven feet in some areas. An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was awash in floodwater up to twenty feet deep. Katrina made history as the deadliest hurricane since 1928, killing directly or indirectly at least 1,800 people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Hurricane Katrina reinforced the central lesson of the flood of 1927: when flood control structures fail, they exacerbate greatly the damage caused by natural storms. Ultimately, the Army Corps of Engineers accepted a large dose of responsibility for the failure of levees and floodwalls.
Andrew W. Kahrl
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781469628721
- eISBN:
- 9781469628745
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469628721.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
The chapter examines the unique set of challenges facing family-owned and operated black beach resorts in burgeoning coastal real estate markets in the mid-20th century South. It profiles the Freeman ...
More
The chapter examines the unique set of challenges facing family-owned and operated black beach resorts in burgeoning coastal real estate markets in the mid-20th century South. It profiles the Freeman family and traces the history of their extensive coastal landholdings in New Hanover County, North Carolina, which became home to a thriving community of homes, entertainment venues, and seasonal enterprises. Through the story of a single family over several generations, the chapter shows how landownership imbued black families with a sense of independence and fierce determination to defend themselves and their property. It also demonstrates just how daunting the protection of property was for African Americans living along coastlines undergoing massive infrastructure and economic development. It shows how federal coastal engineering projects led to massive erosion of black-owned land, which undermined the Freeman family’s business interests and made its landholdings more vulnerable to the damaging effects of hurricanes and storms. It also shows how the land’s status as heirs’ property (a legal term used to describe land held by the descendents of the original owner in undivided shares) left this and other black families vulnerable to expropriation by land speculators.Less
The chapter examines the unique set of challenges facing family-owned and operated black beach resorts in burgeoning coastal real estate markets in the mid-20th century South. It profiles the Freeman family and traces the history of their extensive coastal landholdings in New Hanover County, North Carolina, which became home to a thriving community of homes, entertainment venues, and seasonal enterprises. Through the story of a single family over several generations, the chapter shows how landownership imbued black families with a sense of independence and fierce determination to defend themselves and their property. It also demonstrates just how daunting the protection of property was for African Americans living along coastlines undergoing massive infrastructure and economic development. It shows how federal coastal engineering projects led to massive erosion of black-owned land, which undermined the Freeman family’s business interests and made its landholdings more vulnerable to the damaging effects of hurricanes and storms. It also shows how the land’s status as heirs’ property (a legal term used to describe land held by the descendents of the original owner in undivided shares) left this and other black families vulnerable to expropriation by land speculators.
Christine A. Klein and Sandra B. Zellmer
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479825387
- eISBN:
- 9781479807475
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479825387.003.0009
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History
This chapter focuses on the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and its aftermath. Katrina raged across a 93,000 square mile area with sustained winds of up to about 125 miles per hour. ...
More
This chapter focuses on the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and its aftermath. Katrina raged across a 93,000 square mile area with sustained winds of up to about 125 miles per hour. It triggered an immense storm surge along the northern Gulf Coast—topping out at about twenty-seven feet in some areas. An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was awash in floodwater up to twenty feet deep. Katrina made history as the deadliest hurricane since 1928, killing directly or indirectly at least 1,800 people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Hurricane Katrina reinforced the central lesson of the flood of 1927: when flood control structures fail, they exacerbate greatly the damage caused by natural storms. Ultimately, the Army Corps of Engineers accepted a large dose of responsibility for the failure of levees and floodwalls.
Less
This chapter focuses on the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and its aftermath. Katrina raged across a 93,000 square mile area with sustained winds of up to about 125 miles per hour. It triggered an immense storm surge along the northern Gulf Coast—topping out at about twenty-seven feet in some areas. An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was awash in floodwater up to twenty feet deep. Katrina made history as the deadliest hurricane since 1928, killing directly or indirectly at least 1,800 people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Hurricane Katrina reinforced the central lesson of the flood of 1927: when flood control structures fail, they exacerbate greatly the damage caused by natural storms. Ultimately, the Army Corps of Engineers accepted a large dose of responsibility for the failure of levees and floodwalls.
James M. Denham
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813060491
- eISBN:
- 9780813050638
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813060491.003.0020
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
The chapter deals with income tax evasion, including beginning discussion of the high-profile Wesley Snipes prosecution. The chapter then turns to Medicare fraud prosecutions. The changing nature of ...
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The chapter deals with income tax evasion, including beginning discussion of the high-profile Wesley Snipes prosecution. The chapter then turns to Medicare fraud prosecutions. The changing nature of organized crime activity in Florida is the next subject covered in the chapter. The employment of “crews” and how they were prosecuted in the Middle District is included. Next the chapter turns to environment disputes, especially plaintiffs’ actions against large-scale developments considered to be outside federal guidelines. Issues such as manatee protection, protecting wetlands, and massive developments that violated existing rules and generally threatened the environment were often before federal judges. Middle District judges adjudicated endangered species questions as well. Finally the chapter turns to bankruptcy in the Middle District Court from 2000 to the present and a number of new additions to the Bankruptcy bar are featured.Less
The chapter deals with income tax evasion, including beginning discussion of the high-profile Wesley Snipes prosecution. The chapter then turns to Medicare fraud prosecutions. The changing nature of organized crime activity in Florida is the next subject covered in the chapter. The employment of “crews” and how they were prosecuted in the Middle District is included. Next the chapter turns to environment disputes, especially plaintiffs’ actions against large-scale developments considered to be outside federal guidelines. Issues such as manatee protection, protecting wetlands, and massive developments that violated existing rules and generally threatened the environment were often before federal judges. Middle District judges adjudicated endangered species questions as well. Finally the chapter turns to bankruptcy in the Middle District Court from 2000 to the present and a number of new additions to the Bankruptcy bar are featured.
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226473642
- eISBN:
- 9780226473673
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226473673.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Drawing on data from original randomized experiments, this chapter investigates the causal linkage between elite polarization and mass sorting. It examines cause-and-effect relationships by looking ...
More
Drawing on data from original randomized experiments, this chapter investigates the causal linkage between elite polarization and mass sorting. It examines cause-and-effect relationships by looking at the rise of stem cell research. In 2005, demographics, particularly religion, was a major explanatory factor underlying support for stem cell research. Today, party plays a crucial role. Democrats and Republicans differed in their support for stem cell research by 8 percent in 2001 and by 26 percent in 2005 as the two sides sorted themselves out. The experiment addressed five issues: whether the Army Corps of Engineers should add more external review of the environmental impact of a project prior to construction; whether air traffic controllers should be employed by the federal government or the private sector; whether the government should allow deregulation of the electricity market; whether the government should maintain the ban on coastal drilling for oil and natural gas; whether the federal or state governments should maintain primary control over job-training programs.Less
Drawing on data from original randomized experiments, this chapter investigates the causal linkage between elite polarization and mass sorting. It examines cause-and-effect relationships by looking at the rise of stem cell research. In 2005, demographics, particularly religion, was a major explanatory factor underlying support for stem cell research. Today, party plays a crucial role. Democrats and Republicans differed in their support for stem cell research by 8 percent in 2001 and by 26 percent in 2005 as the two sides sorted themselves out. The experiment addressed five issues: whether the Army Corps of Engineers should add more external review of the environmental impact of a project prior to construction; whether air traffic controllers should be employed by the federal government or the private sector; whether the government should allow deregulation of the electricity market; whether the government should maintain the ban on coastal drilling for oil and natural gas; whether the federal or state governments should maintain primary control over job-training programs.
