The American Experience...Fatal Flood: A Story of Greed...Power and Race

[jus_the_facts]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flood/

TIME LINE

1726
Residents of New Orleans, near the mouth of the Mississippi River, build artificial levees ranging in height from 4 to 6 feet to protect their young city from the ravages of floods.

1812
Levee building remains in vogue along the Louisiana shores of the Mississippi. As settlers move into the territory north of New Orleans, levees are constructed. By 1812 levees have been built to safeguard 155 miles of land north of New Orleans on the east bank of the river and 180 miles north of the city on the west bank.

1814
As early as 1814 the debate over levee building begins, and proposals are made advocating alternatives to levees such as the creation of artificial outlets, called spillways, to drain floodwaters from the river


1926
April: The Army Corps of Engineers, having constructed levees stretching from Cairo, Illinois to New Orleans, publicly declares that the levee system along the Mississippi will prevent future floods.

Fall: Violent storms in the northern United States dump tons of water into tributaries throughout the continent that feed into the Mississippi.

1927
April 29: The torrent has moved south. With the river almost at the levee tops, New Orleans dynamites the Poydras levee, creating a 1500-foot break at an estimated cost of $2 million, to direct the flood waters away from the city and its half million inhabitants. Movie cameras are on hand to record the momentous scene. The New York Times reports that many people refuse to quit the area to be flooded by the levee break. One woman living in a lighthouse "says she won't quit her post unless Uncle Sam comes to take her away."

....thought this deserved it's own thread...as much as things change...so they stay the same. :nopity:

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Was this originally shown under another name?

I remember seeing an American Experience doc about the floods of 1927, a few years ago. This was also in the book "Rising Tide":

http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Tide-Mississippi-Changed-America/dp/0684840022/sr=1-2/qid=1171399334/ref=sr_1_2/104-2325941-3299959?ie=UTF8&s=books

[jus_the_facts]

5. Mayhap it was....

...can't ever show it enough times as far as I'm concerned....it should be common knowledge but unfortunately history is ignored by the masses..for the most part...sigh. :(

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Recorded it last nite - watching it tonite.

[jus_the_facts]

9. Makes me ever more cynical....

....as there is never enough done to make the necessary changes in gov't to make enough of a difference...regardless of who's in control. :(

[OHdem10]

3. Conservatism has driven politics in the south

for eons. Does not matter which party, the difference
is in degrees.

Conservatism produces a society of Have Muches and a sea
of Have Nots. No one ever points out the economics of
Conservatism. We permit Republicans to define it in
terms of God, Guns, Gays. The Economics --unfettered
capitalism--leads to the society already described.

That old standby "Personal Responsibilty" = take care of
yourself and expect nothing from your government rules
the day. I think Katrina illustrated this in spades.

Was Washington really incompetent?? Or did Conservatism
rule the day??? I am inclined toward believing the latter.

If you believe Government is the Problem and Government
cannot address problems--it follows Government does
not have to do anything and can be as sloppy as it wishes.

"Greed is good." (Sarcasm)

[jus_the_facts]

4. Sorry but there are slums in all northern cities and urban areas as well....

....IN ALL AREAS OF THE COUNTRY...regardless of any majority democratic rule....it's not just a southern problem.

Funny how the south has produced some of the most hardcore democratic presidents too...but the conservative driven politics always wins regardless of who's in power...the haves and have mores way always have their way in the end.

[OHdem10]

6. I concede

there are slums in all areas.

The Southern States including Texas rank at rock bottom on
quality of life, and or economic charts.

I find it interesting that in areas of the country considered
more liberal, the quality of life and or economic stats
are much higher.

IMO Ideology plays a role.

[jus_the_facts]

8. Of course...there HAS to be poor to have rich....as there HAS to be a top and a bottom...

....regardless of ideology...or location...it's the same ol' song and dance throughout recorded history...there hasn't been enough change to make much of a difference...and yes I become extremely hardcore cynical every day that goes by because of accurate observations of these facts.

[salin]

10. Indeed - I worked in 'slums' in Detroit, and live in one in California

and now in Indy. All northern urban areas.

:hi:

[jus_the_facts]

11. HEY Hoosier....Thank You!!

:hi: :loveya:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Actually, if you watch the show...

it appears things only got really bad in New Orleans after the Civil War when Reconstruction failed and mobs of white supremacists started roaming the streets, and city government, and supreme courts...

[jus_the_facts]

12. /

[jus_the_facts]

13. ^* _ *^