AP FIRES BACK Using WH 'Lessons Learned' Breaching vs Overtopping

[kpete]

AP: White House compared overtopping to breaches
RAW STORY
Published: March 8, 2006

Although many critics on the right have been harshly criticizing a recent Associated Press article for 'misreporting' that President Bush, despite stating otherwise, had been warned that Hurricane Katrina might breach levees, the A.P. fires back by using the White House's own 'lessons learned' review, RAW STORY has found.

Late Friday night, the Associated Press issued a clarification to their March 1 story, after being attacked by many on the right for initially reporting "federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees" when the released partial transcripts to the leaked video only specifically mentioned "overtopping."

Excerpts from the article, "Tapes Refresh Debate Over Katrina, Levees," by Tom Raum:

But civil engineers understand that once a levee is "topped," floodwaters can rapidly erode the structural base of the levee and nearly always result in a breach, according to AP interviews with officials from the Corps of Engineers and others.

The White House's own "lessons learned" review of the federal response issued last month compared overtopping to a breach of a levee.

"Overtopping is a term used to describe the situation where the water level rises above the height of the levee or floodwall and consequently overtops, or flows over the structure. A breach is a break in the levee or floodwall. A prolonged overtopping can actually cause a levee or floodwall breach," the report said.

"In general, a breach can lead to more significant flooding than an overtopping since breaches take time to repair and until repaired continue to allow water to flow until the water level has receded below the height of the breach. Overtopping, on the other hand, will stop as soon as the water level recedes below the top of the levee or floodwall."

"Although the consequences are significantly different, from outward appearances, it is often difficult to differentiate a breach from an overtopping," the White House report said.

http://rawstory.com/news/2006/AP_White_House_compared_overtopping_to_0308.html

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Only a dumb ass like bush wouldn't see the implications

of a levee being topped. Any 6 year old who ever played in the mud with a hose would know what would probably happen.

[KansDem]

2. Good going, AP!

You ready now to roll up your sleeves and do some real reporting on Bush and his band of thugs and cutthroats?

[AX10]

3. Good Work on behalf of the AP.

[Gman]

4. Now they're playing stupid

They knew damn well overtopping leads to breaching especially in a Cat 5 hurricane. How fucking dishonest for the WH to play stupid. Everything's a political game with these assholes.