FLOODS in New Orleans following hurricane Katrina were made worse by a channel dug by a US government agency, according to testimony heard by a federal court. The hearing, in which the government is being sued for allowing the channel to be built, could lead to payouts to hundreds of thousands of flood victims. It may also lead to massive reforms in flood protection.
The evidence comes from the most detailed modelling of Katrina’s storm surge to date. “Science is the most critical factor in this courtroom,” says Pierce O’Donnell, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. “To win the day, one…
