A closed-door hearing will be held today in federal court over Hurricane Katrina flooding damage. It’s become a controversy in the nation’s capital.
A judge in Washington has ruled that federal authorities are liable for some of the catastrophic flooding New Orleans endured after Katrina and other storms.
That flooding has since been blamed on the now-closed Mississippi River Gulf Outlet – the navigation channel known as “ MRGO” built by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Judge Susan Braden of the US Court of Federal Claims in Washington set a hearing in New Orleans to determine whether an agreement can be reached to have damages assessed by a mediator.
The matter prompted Ohio Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur to question on the House floor why rebuilding should be allowed in vulnerable areas where MRGO made flooding worse — the Lower 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu called Kaptur’s comments “misguided and offensive.” New Orleans Democratic Congressman Cedric Richmond also slammed her remarks.
It’s unclear how much the government will have to pay in damages.
