NOLA Pump Operators Fled Storm

NOLA.com is reporting that 1,100 essential employees in Jefferson Parish, including 200 "critical pump station workers" were told to get out of town as Katrina approached the city.

Aware of residents' growing anger over street flooding that occurred while pump stations parishwide sat vacant for 24 to 36 hours on Aug. 28-29, top directors for Parish President Aaron Broussard said they aimed to protect employees' lives over property when they shipped workers, along with 700 parish vehicles, more than 100 miles north to Mount Hermon, La., near the Mississippi border. ...

Top officials also sent a directive to pump station personnel. "We told them: 'Pump everything down. Get as much of the water out of without sucking in the walls of the canals,' " Maestri said. Public Works Department Director Jose Gonzalez said water levels in most canals were reduced to 8 feet or 8 1/2 feet, the most shallow depth possible without damaging infrastructure.

Pumps cannot be left running without workers in the stations, he added.

Broussard said the decision to evacuate was made because, "we don't have anything that can withstand a (Category) 4 or 5." Why not? Wouldn't logic dictate that if such a storm were to hit, pumps just might be needed? And wouldn't logic dictate that if pumps are needed, it would be a swell idea to build pumping plants strong enough to ould be there when they're needed?

As the systemic failures -- including evidence that the failed levees were anchored in peat, not bedrock -- become more evident, the blame Bush crowd sounds more and more ridiculous.