Articles by Cain Burdeau

Last Katrina FEMA Trailer Leaves New Orleans

The last of the once-ubiquitous FEMA trailers has been removed from New Orleans more than six years after floodwalls and levees broke during Hurricane Katrina and caused the city to fill with floodwaters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said the …

BP Emails Reveal Company Veiled Spill Rate

On the day the Deepwater Horizon sank, BP officials warned in an internal memo that if the well was not protected by the blow-out preventer at the drill site, crude oil could burst into the Gulf of Mexico at a …

Corps Says It’s not to Blame for Katrina Flooding

Justice Department lawyers argued at trial on Dec. 12 that there is little evidence a shipping channel dug decades ago by the Army Corps of Engineers contributed significantly to the castastrophic flooding after Hurricane Katrina that swamped St. Bernard Parish …

Data Show New Orleans Recovery Stalled Under Nagin

As New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin leaves office, hundreds of damaged city buildings including police stations and fire houses sit unrepaired more than four years after Hurricane Katrina, stark reminders of how the recovery has floundered. Only seven percent of …

Quick End to Gulf Oil Leak Depends on Robot Subs

Crews have been using a robot submarine to try to stop an oil leak resulting from the explosion at an oil drilling platform off the coast of Louisiana. The oil is leaking nearly a mile below the surface of the …

Katrina MRGO Ruling Could Bring New Deluge of Lawsuits

A landmark court ruling blaming the Army Corps of Engineers’ “monumental negligence” for some of the worst flooding from Hurricane Katrina could lead to a new deluge: billions of dollars in legal action from thousands of storm victims. The federal …

Corps Begins $1B Barrier Project for Western New Orleans

Mindful that the suburban West Bank of New Orleans has regained its pre-Hurricane Katrina population and is primed for growth, the Army Corps of Engineers is launching a $1 billion effort to keep the next storm at bay. The new …

GAO Reports Detail Problems With Katrina Disaster Response

As the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina nears, four new reports by Congress’ investigative arm have found a wide range of problems with the federal government’s handling of the storm’s aftermath. The Government Accountability Office reports were a reminder that …

Report on Federal Probe Into Deadly Katrina Flooding Released

An in-depth study by more than 150 experts commissioned by the Army Corps of Engineers to look into the catastrophic failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina is done, though the report released June 26 divulged little research that hadn’t …

Report Warns of Gaps in Louisiana Emergency Plans, Officials Skeptical

Hurricane season is just weeks away, but many south Louisiana parishes cannot show their disaster plans cover evacuation of at-risk populations such as the disabled, the homeless and the elderly, according to the Disaster Accountability Project, a student-led watchdog group. …