‘Models predicted New Orleans disaster’

Virtually everything that has happened since Hurricane Katrina struck was predicted by emergency management specialists, who are now left wo...

Virtually everything that has happened since Hurricane Katrina struck was predicted by emergency management specialists, who are now left wondering why authorities were so unprepared.

In July 2004, over 40 government and volunteer agencies practiced the very scenario New Orleans now faces in an intensive five-day simulation—in light of which, said disaster expert Bill Waugh, ‘‘it’s inexplicable how unprepared for the flooding they were’’.

In comments on Thursday, President Bush said, ‘‘I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.’’

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But Louisiana State University engineer Joseph Suhayda and others have warned for years that defences could fail. In 2002, the New Orleans Times Picayune published a five-part series on ‘‘The Big One’’, examining what might happen if they did, and predicting much that actually unfolded this week.

Several experts believe the decision to make the Federal Emergency Management Agency a part of the Department of Homeland Security, created after the September 11, 2001, attacks, was a major mistake. As a result, said emergency management consultant Clare Rubin, FEMA, which functioned well in the 1990s, was ‘‘was downgraded, buried in a couple of layers of bureaucracy, and terrorism prevention got all the attention and most of the funds’’.

—Reuters

PM Modi addresses the nation ahead of the rollout of new GST rates.

PM Modi says ‘GST savings festival’ begins soon: how household budgets are set for boost

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Ahead of the rollout of GST 2.0 effective from September 22, companies have announced lower prices for over 375 common-use goods. The government has urged corporates to pass on the benefits to consumers, resulting in cheaper prices for FMCG products, milk, butter, cheese, pickles, jams, and ice creams. Other items like shampoo, soap, cement, durable goods, and cars may also see a reduction.

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