Experts warned about the poor condition of New Orleans levees years before Hurricane Katrina destroyed them, contributing to the deaths of 1,836 people and displacement of more than a half-million others. Our country will always face natural disasters - but how we take care of our basic infrastructure will determine their cost in lives and money.

The Gulf Coast disaster is but one high profile example. On January 5, 2008, in Fernley, Nevada, a 40-foot section of a levee on a century-old irrigation canal ruptured, flooding up to 400 homes and stranding 3,500 people. Experts say that with proper maintenance and oversight the break could have been avoided. Yet President Bush recently proposed cutting 80 percent of the maintenance and rehabilitation budget that directly funds the canals in Fernley.

In all, as a result of poor maintenance, the U.S. Army corps of Engineers has reported that approximately 150 U.S. levees pose an unacceptable failure risk and the number of troubled dams has risen by more than 33 percent in the last ten years to 3,500.

If our nation redirects resources to priorities, we can invest in our dams and levees to keep American communities safe.

Where do we start?

Congress must ensure the integrity of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund.

Resources

Dam Safety: A National Concern. Association of State Dam Safety Officials.

Testimony of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. Association of State Dam Safety Officials.