Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina (Natural Disaster, New Orleans Flood, Government Corruption)
The New Orleans Flood, U.S. Corruption, and Disasters
“Anyone who is interested in Hurricane Katrina, and in America’s failing infrastructure, will want to read this book told in a fast-paced narrative.” —Scott G. Knowles, Drexel University professor and author
#1 New Release in Civil Engineering & Environmental, Urban & City Planning, Development, and Disaster Relief
In the aftermath of one of the worst disasters in U.S. history, Words Whispered in Water tells the story of one woman’s fight—against all odds—to expose a mammoth federal agency—and win.
It’s a horror story, a mystery, and David and Goliath story all in one. In 2005, the entire world watched as a major U.S. city was nearly wiped off the map. The levees ruptured and New Orleans drowned. But while newscasters attributed the New Orleans flood to “natural catastrophes” and other types of disasters, citizen investigator Sandy Rosenthal set out to expose the true culprit and compel the media and government to tell the truth. This is her story.
When the protective steel flood-walls broke, the Army Corps of Engineers—with cooperation from big media—turned the blame on natural types of disasters. In the chaotic aftermath, Rosenthal uncovers the U.S. corruption, and big media at root. Follow this New Orleans hero as she exposes the federal agency’s egregious design errors and eventually changes the narrative surrounding the New Orleans flood. In this engaging and revealing tale of man versus nature and man versus man, Words Whispered in Water proves that the power of a single individual is alive and well.
If you enjoyed books like The Johnstown Flood, Breach of Faith, or The Great Deluge, then Words Whispered in Water is your next read!
Reviews (93)
Astonishing revelations about the biggest story of 2005
Do you think you know what happened in New Orleans in 2005? If you depended on CNN's Anderson Cooper Vanderbilt or the New York Times for your news you were gravely misled. The catastrophic flooding which resulted in the death of hundreds and the destruction of $100 billion in property was the fault of the US Army Corps of Engineers which knowingly cut corners in their job of designing, building and maintaining the levee system them. While millions were being misled, the author systematically and relentlessly uncovered the truth. Meanwhile, the local paper of record "The Times Picayune" worked to keep citizens in the dark on behalf of the Corps which spent millions on PR to "sell" their version of reality. In the end, even the New York Times was finally compelled to admit their error and tell the truth - a very rare thing indeed.
Unmovable power is often only waiting for someone with the courage and persistence to move it.
This is an extraordinary book – at once an elegantly written thriller, a deeply personal memoir, and a practical guide to citizen action – that appears at the precise moment when so many of us have come to doubt our ability to fight against powerful governmental institutions that seem to act with impunity. I had heard that a powerful grass roots organization had been organized in the aftermath of the Katrina tragedy to fight the attempt by the US Army Corps of Engineers to hide known design flaws in the flood walls and – using an all too typical bureaucratic trick -- define the rupture of the levees as a “natural” disaster. Defining something as natural, of course, is a sly way of hinting that it is inevitable and caused by forces beyond anyone’s ability to prevent. Of course, powerful institutions do whatever they can to make sure those “forces” continue to be seen as natural. Sandy Rosenthal’s vivid account of how she and other activists organized to uncover these design flaws – fatal flaws by people and anything but natural -- reveals just how far a powerful institution will go to hide its own failures and just how much relentless tenacity is required for citizens to discover the truth. What I wasn’t prepared for, and what I now see we need today more than ever, is a saga in which citizens, held together by an inspired and unstoppable leader like Rosenthal, actually prevail. And while the sinister bureaucratic labyrinth with which these citizen heroes dealt was a mind boggling challenge, the book really transcends these specifics and stands as eloquent testimony to the fact that citizen engagement, with the right amount of passion and willingness to acquire serious expertise, can succeed in what might seem like an absolutely hopeless situation. This might be the place to slip in that I found it impossible to read “Words Whispered in Water” without imagining it as a riveting screenplay and film, both a political thriller in the tradition of Erin Brockovich and a celebration to the courage of those whose love for a city fueled such successful citizen action. The simple lesson of the book, that seemingly unmovable power is often only waiting for someone with the courage and persistence to move it, is probably more important today than at any time I can remember.
An indictment of over-sized and clumsy bureaucracy.
Mrs. Rosenthal's dogged determination has resulted in a work that every engineer should read. It details how an organization uses publicity and past reputation to hide the truth concerning their incompetency. The new flood protection system is rife with flaws and design blunders that will remain hidden until the right storm strikes at the right time from the right direction. Perhaps, in that distant future, will forensic engineers finally correct a process that allows the designer, reviewer, and contract administrator to be the same agency?
An investigative journalist takes on The Army Corps of Rngineers
Sandy Rosenthal uncovered the truth about Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans. The Army Corps of Engineers cut corners knowingly and later spent millions covering it up. She took on politicians, the Army Corps of Engineers and mainstream corporate media to get the truth behind why the levees really broke. A great investigative work of journalism And a heartbreaking tale - because the disaster did not have to be as bad as it was. Incompetence, corner cutting and coverups - the story is shameful because many thousands of people were displaced and lost everything and it did not have to play out this way. A compelling , engaging, heartbreaking page turner. You will not be able to put it down.
The truth on why the levees failed.
The author has devoted a good part of her life to understanding the root causes of why over 1,500 people died and the city of New Orleans suffered billions of dollars of damage. Getting this information meant dismantling road blocks placed in her path by one of the most powerful federal agencies in the US Government - United States Army Corps of Engineers. In spite of this "still she persisted" to write a most readable narrative of the tragedy of 2005 and how it was almost preordained to occur. Highly recommend this work as part of the reading list of classes in environmental justice.
A great pandemic read - much more fun and less academic than I expected.
Sandy Rosenthal’s “Words Whispered in the Water” is a surprising book. It is well researched and incisive, which I expected as I have followed her work with Levees.org closely, but it is also accessible, funny, and fun to read. This is a great book for anyone interested in New Orleans or the way government institutions work (and fail to work) in America.
Very informative
‘Words Whispered in Water’ follows the extraordinary true story of one New Orleanian and how she started a nonprofit organization to take on big government and ensure truth prevailed in Hurricane Katrina’s murky political aftermath. Sandy Rosenthal’s story is a compelling memoir detailing her rise to prominent civic activist and her struggle to improve the levees, to place blame where it belongs, and to spread the truth about how and why the levees of New Orleans failed during a hurricane that wasn’t as large as most of the country had believed. Through an easy-to-understand narrative Sandy shares many of her experiences fighting the Army Corps of Engineers and details the various methods they used to intimidate her. Much of this fascinating story covers her trials and tribulations putting together Levees.org, a nonprofit organization. I was blown away by how complex the political environment is on just a local level. I was really impressed with how Sandy was able to make sense of it all and bring it all together for readers to dissect and decide for themselves. The majority of this thought-provoking memoir reveals the lengths to which government organizations will go to cover something up. It’s surprising, but Sandy has a way of slowly unveiling all of the necessary details you need to connect all the of the same dots that she did. Between all of the meetings, interviews, speeches and endless research the author is able to weave in emotionally charged stories from the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. It was this balance of fact and personal accounts that kept my interest throughout the book. While Hurricane Katrina brought tragedy to New Orleans, ‘Words Whispered in Water’ sheds light on many of the things that the government would rather keep submerged in the aftermath. This is a concise and potent autopsy of one of the worst government blunders in American history. Sandy Rosenthal was in the trenches, tracking down every lead, reading reports, and all of that experience and research is brought together in one eloquent and emotional story that will leave you with a clear understanding of what happened during and after Hurricane Katrina.
The very definition of a page-turner!
Super sleuth author Sandy Rosenthal had one mission in mind by writing this book: to bust the myths about why the levees failed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As she weaves her way through innuendo, deception, and outright lies by the federal government to expose the unquestionable truth, she takes the reader along for the ride. This is an emotional journey of one woman and her family who decided that the people of New Orleans would not be blamed or scape-goated. They were victims of the levee breaches and now they were being victimized again by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers whose lies would have the nation believe that it was their fault, and not the fault of the federal government. The book is also a very human story of survival, courage, and determination. If ever you doubted that one person can make a difference, you will doubt no longer after reading "Words Whispered in Water." Mission accomplished, Ms. Rosenthal!
Must read on Hurricane katrina
As a water resources engineer for over 40 years and counting including over 33 years in flood risk management and six and one-half years as a commissioner for the Southeast Louisiana Flood protection Authority East, I thoroughly enjoyed Sandy Rosenthal's book on Hurricane Katrina. I have read multiple reports on the failure of the levees in Hurricane Katrina including the reports by IPET, ASCE, the NAE-NRC and Team Louisiana. Also "the Great Deluge" by Douglas Brinkley, and "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers. Sandy Rosenthal's book is a "must read" if you are interested in learning why the levees failed and why happened during the response and recovery. Sandy's book tells her courageous story of seeking information and truth on why the levees failed, who was responsible, and her efforts to get the word out to the national media and the state government, federal government, and professional organizations. Her story is one of a David versus Goliath since many of the professional entities did not like her conclusions and actively worked to keep her from telling them. Sandy's book should be required reading for any professional involved in "Risk Communications" including engineers involved in public communications after a disaster. Congratulations Sandy on an excellent book, telling your own story, demonstrating your grit, perseverance and determination of your difficult journey to make your position and facts that support it available to the public.
Excellent book even if not from NOLA.
I am a NOLA resident and have read several books on the flood from the levee failures during Katrina. While I quit reading books about it years ago, I saw this and decided to read it. It was the best book on the subject I have read and very easy to read. With lots of information explaining what really happened, it was like a David and Goliath story as it shows how the Army Corp, covered up everything and blamed the New Orleans Levee Board for being corrupt and responsible for the breech. That was easy to believe and appeared to be low hanging fruit, considering all the corruption in politics. Most locals did not question the Army Corp, but the author did. She spent countless hours and over 10 years to prove otherwise. Without her work, New Orleans would not be what it is today and the people would have suffered much more. Thank you Sandy Rosenthal!!!!
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