What scientists, wetlands experts and community activists have been saying all along: the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MR-GO) did (and still could) contribute to catastrophic flooding in New Orleans and the Lower 9.
Yesterday's "New computer storm model condemns role MRGO played in Katrina flooding" states:
"Had there been no MR-GO when Hurricane Katrina roared out of the Gulf of Mexico atop a record storm surge, the catastrophic flooding that killed some 1,500 people in the New Orleans region would have been reduced by 80 percent, an outspoken coastal scientist told regional levee commissioners Thursday.
Ivor Van Heerden, also well-known critic of the Army Corps of Engineers who led the state's investigation into Katrina failures, said new computer modeling done over the last 12 to 18 months also proves that one mile of healthy wetlands can reduce storm surge by one foot."
Read the full story from The Times-Picayune here.
