Army Corps of Engineers Acknowledges Design Failures Caused Katrina Levee Breaches

A 2006 Army Corps of Engineers internal report — followed by an independent Team Louisiana study — confirmed that the levees breached not primarily from being overtopped but due to design and construction failures, particularly in the 17th Street and London Avenue canals. This meant the flooding of Black neighborhoods in the Lower Ninth Ward and Gentilly was a result of government engineering negligence. The finding supported billions in legal claims filed by residents.