Outside consultants fault New Orleans officials’ long-term neglect of the city’s failing drainage system for widespread flooding last summer.
An ABS Group report, commissioned as a “root cause analysis” by then-Mayor Mitch Landrieu, confirms that the flooding was caused by several factors, including failed drainage pumps, broken turbines, clogged catch basins and undersized pipes. The report also highlights a years-long failure in managing the system.
The system has since undergone $82 million in upgrades, but the report says that isn’t enough to handle a major storm that has a 10 percent chance of occurring in a given year.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
AI’s Volatile Power Demand Is Damaging Its Own Data Centers 
Can Reinsurers Maintain Underwriting Discipline or Will ‘Irrational’ Competition Return? 
Rhine River Shipping Stalls as Water Level Hits Record Low 
Taylor Farms, Taco Bell Face Multiple Lawsuits Over Cyclospora Outbreak From This Issue
