Since the collapse of the federally designed and built levees, we in New Orleans always welcome attention to our struggle to rebuild our lives and our livelihoods while grieving our dead.
But a statement by columnist Dimitri Vasillaros -- "maybe there will be time to learn if the Big Easy's leaders over the decades heeded whatever warnings they might have received about the proper design and structural integrity of the levee system" -- leads me to believe he needs a short history lesson (" Spike's wrong lesson ," Jan. 15 and PghTrib.com).
Since 1965, the responsibility for the design, construction and performance of the levees in New Orleans has been federal.
The Big Easy's leaders -- by federal law -- had no control whatsoever over the flood protection. Yes, it's true that the mayor did not have a plan for those who would not (mostly elderly) or could not (mostly poor) leave, but this does not absolve the federal government.
Congress authorized $738 million to the Corps of Engineers in 1965 to build flood protection to withstand the strongest storms of the region. Had the corps done its job right, the citizens of New Orleans would have had some wet carpets and lost shingles.
And Mike Brown might still be head of FEMA.
Sandy Rosenthal
New Orleans
The writer is founder of Levees.org .
