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LEGAL: Liability of Government for Flood Damages Tested

Posted on April 21, 2009

Image: everystockphoto.com

As flood-damages grow, so do lawsuits alleging that certain individuals, organizations, or developments are responsible for exacerbating problems (see the legal section of this site). Yesterday a civil suit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began in a federal court in New Orleans. The plaintiff contends that the 76-mile-long Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO: locally known as “Mr. GO”), completed in 1968, has intensified flood damage in parts of New Orleans and specific surrounding areas.

The trial, which is expected to take four weeks, is seen as a bellwether for other similar cases against the government.

Civil Lawsuit Over Katrina Begins (New York Times).