Robert Bea
Civil Engineering Department
University of California at Berkeley
Abstract:
Failure of the New Orleans Flood Defense System resulted in the largest disaster in United States history involving a civil engineered system. The first part of this presentation looks back at the reasons for the failure including both the engineering and organizational mechanics. The second part of this presentation looks forward to define practical engineering and organizational options for providing adequate flood defenses for this part of the United States. Some of the thoughts and reflections to be included in this presentation are provided in the paper titled "Time Line to Disaster."