Assbackery 101, second semester, 2007:
This story came in last night, but The Guardian picked it up:
The 2006 hurricane season turned out to be mild, and the new pumps were never pressed into action. But the [U.S. Army]Corps [of Engineers] and the politically connected manufacturer of the equipment are still struggling to get the 34 heavy-duty pumps working properly.
The pumps are now being pulled out and overhauled because of excessive vibration, Corps officials said. Other problems have included overheated engines, broken hoses and blown gaskets, according to the documents obtained by the Associated Press.
How can you fix something that is going to continue to be defective?
I’m really beginning to wonder whether they want New Orleans to return at all.
And not only New Orleans, says Harry Shearer.
But could you trust the company installing the pumps that they would work properly in a cataclysm?
You couldn’t trust Moving Water Industries Corp. (MWI) of Deerfield Beach, FL., who built the drainage system for the Corps.
MWI is owned by J. David Eller and his sons. Eller was once a business partner of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in a venture called Bush-El that marketed MWI pumps. And Eller has donated about $128,000 to politicians, the vast majority of it to the Republican Party, since 1996, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Seems like every motherfreaking Bush/Cheney ally bills the American people for faulty or defective or nonexistent equipment or services, even if they gave a competitive bid.
Lest people forget, Katrina’s Category 1 or 2 storm surge caused the waters of Lake Pontchartrain to back up into drainage canals. Its already-compromised canal walls collapsed, which resulted in 80 percent of New Orleans being flooded. Over 1600 Crescent City residents died, with many still unaccounted for. Many hundreds of thousands will never return its still devastated districts.
Although USACE lucked out that no hurricanes made landfall in Louisiana last year, there is no guarantee that they won’t roll into the Gulf of Mexico and target New Orleans and neighboring environs this year.
Update [2007-3-14 12:19:46 by blksista]: Da po boy at da po blog indicates that at least four pumps tested well without vibration last Saturday. But that’s only four out of 34. Imagine what would have happened if Hurricane Idunnowhat traveled up the same route last year?
