Six Northwestern faculty members gathered Monday to discuss aspects of rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina and provided suggestions on how to better handle future disasters.
Professors from Weinberg and Kellogg and a lecturer from Medill supplemented scientific explanations from three McCormick School of Engineering professors.
The event, held at the Technological Institute at 3 p.m., drew an audience of approximately 120 alumni, Evanston residents, faculty members and students.
Charles Dowding, professor of civil and environmental engineering, began by explaining how the levees failed. He said he did not believe the blame should be entirely placed on the aging or poorly constructed levee system.
“We as humans choose to live in risky areas,” Dowding said.
He added the hurricane in Louisiana was not an isolated event and is a consequence of living in areas prone to natural disasters. He was interested in seeing whether the government would take a national approach to prevent or limit future disasters rather than focus solely on New Orleans, he said.
A common theme among the speakers was that the flooding was the product of longstanding factors. Kimberly Gray, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, said the drainage of wetlands was a cause of flooding.
New Orleans is a swamp where flooding is part of the natural process in building up sediment, she said. Without more sediment, New Orleans and the surrounding area would slowly be sinking.
“Wetland restoration is one of the cheapest and the best protections against hurricanes,” said Gray, adding that this approach could work in all areas susceptible to hurricanes.
Henry Binford, a professor of history, explained many people did not wish to abandon vulnerable areas of New Orleans because of the high cost of the real estate.
“(The French) started building levees and canals to make the water go where they wanted for agriculture,” he said. Removing the levees would result in a loss of the valuable real estate, he added.
Anne Johnsos, a Medill lecturer, offered an change of pace by showing clips of hurricane news coverage that she thought were too subjective. She said reporters like Anderson Cooper, Geraldo Rivera and Shepard Smith became visibly angry on air and lost their objectivity.
“I would have given some concepts, given some number, rather than preaching,” Johnsos said.
Donald Haider, Kellogg professor of management and strategy director of the Public/Nonprofit Management Program, said government methods of responding to disasters are broken. The Federal Emergency Management Agency could not be blamed entirely because it had no authority over other organizations and wasted time reporting to 13 committees and 88 subcommittees, Haider said.
Students said they enjoyed the academic aspect of the dialogue.
“My only source so far has been newspapers and watching TV,” said Drew Austin, a Weinberg senior and former Daily staffer. “It was nice to hear a more academic approach because I feel like you get a more in-depth look.”
The seminar was broadcast live via the McCormick Web site and will be made available for viewing in a few weeks.
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