Posts Tagged ‘ John Andry ’

Army Corps of Engineers gets “F” for Katrina

November 19th, 2009. By AbiK

The folks who lived through Katrina probably have a few other “F’s” to toss in the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers as well. But the “F” I’m talking about is for “Failure”—failure to prevent devastation…failure to properly maintain the navigation channel that flooded…failure to take action when they knew damn well there was a problem and it was inevitable that a disaster like Katrina would happen.

Judge Stanwood R. Duval Jr’s ruling that the corps’ failure to properly maintain a navigation channel thereby leading to massive floods came with some harsh words:

“It is the court’s opinion that the negligence of the corps, in this instance by failing to maintain the MR-GO properly, was not policy, but insouciance, myopia and shortsightedness.”

Take that, ACOE.

I had the pleasure of meeting one of the lawyers involved in the case at Mass Torts Made Perfect in Las Vegas—John Andry. I have to admit, it had been a while since I really thought about Katrina or its victims—heck, I live on the other side of the country and well, as with most disasters (and most people), if it hasn’t affected you directly, you sadly forget. And you never really understand first-hand what the victims must have endured. So that’s why this lawyer, John Andry, intrigued me. You couldn’t help getting swept up in how he was describing the way things happened with Katrina…how it was a disaster waiting to happen.

Andry drew diagrams for me, explained the devastation, shared the stories of family and friends he personally knows who lost everything. See, Andry’s a local boy—not some out-of-towner who just comes in on a ego trip because he knew the case would generate a lot of press. No, this guy actually teared up as he was telling me and my colleague, Michelle, about the case. With him, this Katrina disaster is personal—and it shows.

Talking with Andry was a good reminder that those who were affected by Katrina are still living with Katrina—and always will be. This ruling, while a landmark one and one that will clear the way for others to seek damages, will never take away their loss. But at least now there is finally some accountability.

Tags: ACOE, Army Corps of Engineers, John Andry, Katrina
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