Center for the Study of Public Health Impact of Hurricanes
Co-founder and former director of the Hurricane Center and of the Center for the Study of Public Health Impact of Hurricanes, both at Louisiana State University; author of The Storm: What Went Wrong and Why During Hurricane Katrina
Emergency Preparations Ramp Up as the Northeast Waits for Irene Even before Hurricane Irene hit the Carolinas, evacuations were underway as far north as New York and New Jersey. President Obama said federal agencies are preparing with states and cities for a "historic" storm that could be "extremely dangerous and costly." As many as 55 million people live in areas threatened with power outages, high winds and flooding where heavy rains already have saturated the ground. Major airports are in the path of the storm, rail lines could be under water and highways are closed — with potential impact on transportation nationwide. We hear what's being done to prepare for the worst and the possible aftermath.
'The Big Uneasy' Five years ago, the Washington Post reported that “Louisiana's top hurricane experts have rejected the official explanations for the floodwall collapses that inundated much of New Orleans…and that the city's flood-protection system should have kept most of the city dry.” Those experts have since lost their jobs and Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center has now been shut down. That's just part of what's reported in the documentary, The Big Uneasy . Was Katrina really a “natural disaster” or largely man-made? Were levees built by the Army Corps of Engineers so poorly constructed they made it worse than it needed to be? What about recent efforts to protect New Orleans from future hurricanes? Are they based on sound engineering or pork barrel politics?
The President's Quick Trip to The Big Easy Senator Barack Obama went to New Orleans five times to criticize then-President George Bush for failing to rebuild New Orleans or protect it from future flooding. But today was his first visit as President, and he spent just a few hours before going on to a fundraiser in San Francisco.
Obama's Quick Trip to The Big Easy As a Senator, Obama went to New Orleans five times to criticize then-President Bush for failing to rebuild the city or protect it from future flooding. He campaigned on the claim that George W. Bush had failed to rebuild New Orleans after Katrina or to invest enough in future protection. Now, with 65,000 homes still abandoned, no public hospital and levees that remain vulnerable to flooding, Obama’s being criticized for not doing enough. Today, he made his first visit as President, with only enough time for a box lunch, before going on to a fundraiser in San Francisco. Has his administration been good for New Orleans? Can the Army Corps of Engineers prevent another disaster? What about politics in a city focused on race in a state focused on partisanship?
In New Orleans, the Disaster Continues Ernesto is now just a tropical storm, but it was the first hurricane of a new season. Meantime, politicians of both parties, including President Bush, are streaming into New Orleans for tomorrow's first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Under direction from Congress, the Army Corps of Engineers has spent a billion dollars to bring the city's flood protection back where it was before Katrina. Despite billions in federal spending, there's not even a plan for rebuilding 12 months after America's worst natural disaster. If there were another Katrina, could levees rebuilt by the Army Corps of Engineers hold back the water? What does race have to do with the lack of planning? We hear about the slow and painful process of recovery.
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.