The scientific journal Nature, in today's news@nature section, features an interview with UMR's David Rogers on his work to uncover what caused New Orleans' levy system to fail during Hurricane Katrina. (Rogers, pictured at right, has been back to New Orleans 11 times since Katrina.) Some excerpts from the Q&A:
What was it like working in New Orleans?It was like pictures you see of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the Second World War. Just complete devastation for mile after mile. No people, no bathrooms, no water. Choking dust; very fine dust on everything.
What went wrong with the levees?
We don't think that everything was due to overtopping. We feel a lot more of it was seepage related. When the storm hit, water was forced under the structures, eroding their bases and knocking them down.
