Hurricane Katrina Environmental and Engineering Concerns

The flooding of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina provides many lessons for the environmental and engineering communities and raises serious public policy questions about risk management. A summary of the primary engineering failures that led to the flooding and the consequences of those failures on the city, its people and the environment will be discussed. The emphasis will be on the contamination and waste management issues that resulted from the flooding. The environmental consequences were of concern because of the many chemical plants, petroleum distribution and refining facilities, and contaminated sites, including Superfund sites, in the areas covered by floodwaters. Some 565 oil spills were noted in the wake of Katrina as a result of failures in the petroleum production and refining infrastructure. In addition, hundreds of commercial establishments, such as service stations, pest control businesses, and dry cleaners, use potentially hazardous chemicals that may have been released into the environment by the floodwaters. The potential sources of toxics and environmental contaminants included metal-contaminated soils typical of old urban areas and construction lumber preserved with creosote, pentachlorophenol, and arsenic. Compounding these concerns is the presence of hazardous chemicals commonly stored in households and the fuel and motor oil in approximately 400,000 flooded automobiles. Uncontrolled biological wastes from both human and animal sources also contributed to the pollutant burden in the city. Post-Katrina, we are still struggling with an unprecedented legacy of solid and hazardous wastes. This discussion will focus on successes and failures in responding to each of these concerns as well as lessons learned for future disasters.