Published Wednesday, August 29, 2007 by Mark Thornton
Today we remember the victims of Katrina, but, writes Mark Thornton, we should not forget that government levees have been failing in minor and major disasters throughout their history. Recall, for example, the Great Flood of 1927. The similarities are startling. A known threat was approaching and yet all the government spending and planning completely failed. In fact, in both cases the government turned a normal problem into a major disaster. The African American population was hurt disproportionately in both cases. In 1927 Herbert Hoover promised aid and assistance which failed to materialize (this was a major reason for the black exodus from the Republican to the Democrat party). In both cases it was individuals and organizations — both commercial and charitable — that did the real work of reconstruction.
(Original Text)
Katrina and the Great Flood of 1927 (1.47 MB)