Ivor van Heerden

Last updated
Ivor van Heerden
VanHeerden Prytania 2.JPG
Born
Johannesburg, South Africa
NationalitySouth African / American
Alma mater Louisiana State University
Known forWork on Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Pam simulation
Scientific career
Fields Marine science
Institutions Louisiana State University

Ivor van Heerden is a South African-born American scientist, recognized for his work in the marine sciences and his significant contributions in the field of hurricane research. He was the deputy director of the Louisiana State University (LSU) Hurricane Center; however his tenure at LSU ended in 2010, when he was dismissed by the university under controversial circumstances following his criticism of the handling of Hurricane Katrina.

Contents

Biography

van Heerden was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. [1] He completed his doctoral degree in marine sciences from Louisiana State University [2] and later went on to establish a hurricane modeling program at LSU.[ citation needed ] For the last decade, he has been one of the most persistent voices warning of the inevitable effects of a major hurricane on the Louisiana coast. He participated in the Hurricane Pam exercise in July 2004, asserting that his recommendations were overlooked, a neglect which he argues exacerbated the Hurricane Katrina disaster.[ citation needed ]

Van Heerden is also known for his criticism of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), attributing the 2005 levee failures in New Orleans to their faulty design and execution. This controversy was further fueled when LSU instructed him to avoid media engagements, raising concerns that his book The Storm might jeopardize federal grant money directed to the university. [3]

A quote from Van Heerden is on this neighborhood memorial to Katrina dead in the Bywater section of New Orleans BywaterKarinaMemorial20Nov06VanHeerdenQuote.jpg
A quote from Van Heerden is on this neighborhood memorial to Katrina dead in the Bywater section of New Orleans

Termination from LSU and subsequent lawsuit

On 9 April 2009, LSU announced its decision to terminate Van Heerden's position, effective at the end of the spring semester. Van Heerden said the university did not offer a reason for this action. [4] In a subsequent interview with Harry Shearer on his Le Show radio program, Van Heerden revealed that he learned about his dismissal from news media and was never personally informed. [5] This sudden termination raised serious academic freedom concerns and sparked protests from faculty members and students at LSU. [6] It was speculated that the termination was related to Van Heerden's public criticism of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after Hurricane Katrina, an action which could have placed LSU's funding at risk. [7]

One of the criticisms leveled at Van Heerden came from a retired corps employee, who claimed that van Heerden, a geologist, had allegedly offered "engineering services" or had represented himself "as an engineer publicly without having a professional engineer's license". [8] This was seen as a potential legal liability for LSU.

van Heerden, however, found strong support in the Louisiana press, [9] [10] [11] [12] with scathing criticisms of LSU's administration appearing in major newspapers like the New Orleans Times-Picayune , from James A. Cobb Jr., attorney and adjunct professor in LSU-rival Tulane University's School of Law, [13] whose letter to the editor ended thus: [14]

Academic freedom and intellectual integrity are, at LSU, like two distant cousins who haven't spoken to each other in many, many years.

— Flagship university? Please.


In an interview with the New York Times , van Heerden voiced suspicion that his "slow-motion" dismissal was strategically timed with the opening of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the US Army Corps of Engineers over the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal (MR-GO), where he was expected to testify. [15]

On February 10, 2010, van Heerden filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against LSU, alleging retaliation by university officials. [16] [17] The lawsuit ended in a settlement after emails between the Louisiana Governor's office and LSU officials were made public, indicating an early plan to silence van Heerden after his criticisms of the Army Corps of Engineers. The emails were exchanged three weeks after Katrina, and were in response to van Heerden blaming the Army Corps of Engineers for most of the New Orleans area flooding during Katrina. The settlement amounted to $435,000, [18] while the university's legal expenses approached an additional half million dollars. [19] [20]

Quotes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Pontchartrain</span> Estuary located in southeastern Louisiana, United States

Lake Pontchartrain is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of 630 square miles (1,600 km2) with an average depth of 12 to 14 feet. Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about 40 miles (64 km) from west to east and 24 miles (39 km) from south to north.

The Mississippi River–Gulf Outlet Canal is a 76 mi (122 km) channel constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers at the direction of Congress in the mid-20th century that provided a shorter route between the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans' inner harbor Industrial Canal via the Intracoastal Waterway. In 2005, the MRGO channeled Hurricane Katrina's storm surge into the heart of Greater New Orleans, contributing significantly to the subsequent multiple engineering failures experienced by the region's hurricane protection network. In the aftermath the channel was closed. A permanent storm surge barrier was constructed in the MRGO in 2009, and the channel has been closed to maritime shipping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Katrina</span> Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2005

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating and deadly Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $186.3 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. Katrina was the twelfth tropical cyclone, the fifth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was also the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States, gauged by barometric pressure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane preparedness in New Orleans</span>

Hurricane preparedness in New Orleans has been an issue since the city's early settlement because of its location.

From 1890 through 2006, the Orleans Levee Board (OLB) was the body of commissioners that oversaw the Orleans Levee District (OLD) which supervised the levee and floodwall system in Orleans Parish, Louisiana The role of the OLB has changed over time. Prior to Hurricane Betsy in 1965, the OLB developed land and sold it to raise money to build and improve flood protection levees. After Betsy, Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1965 which directed the Army Corps of Engineers to design and build the hurricane flood protection system enveloping New Orleans. Owing to the 1965 legislation, the OLB's duties were now limited to collecting the 30% cost share for project design and construction, and to maintaining and operating completed flood protection structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">17th Street Canal</span> Canal in Louisiana, United States of America

The 17th Street Canal is the largest and most important drainage canal in the city of New Orleans. Operating with Pump Station 6, it moves water into Lake Pontchartrain. The canal, along with the Orleans Canal and the London Avenue Canal, form the New Orleans Outfall Canals. The 17th Street Canal forms a significant portion of the boundary between the city of New Orleans and Metairie, Louisiana. The canal has also been known as the Metairie Outlet Canal and the Upperline Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Avenue Canal</span>

The London Avenue Canal is a drainage canal in New Orleans, Louisiana, used for pumping rain water into Lake Pontchartrain. The canal runs through the 7th Ward of New Orleans from the Gentilly area to the Lakefront. It is one of the three main drainage canals responsible for draining rainwater from the main basin of New Orleans. The London Avenue Canal's flood walls built atop earthen levees breached on both sides during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 levee failures in Greater New Orleans</span> Engineering failures in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina

On Monday, August 29, 2005, there were over 50 failures of the levees and flood walls protecting New Orleans, Louisiana, and its suburbs following passage of Hurricane Katrina. The failures caused flooding in 80% of New Orleans and all of St. Bernard Parish. In New Orleans alone, 134,000 housing units — 70% of all occupied units — suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding.

ING 4727

ING 4727 was a barge belonging to Ingram Barge Company that became infamous when it went over or through a levee and landed in a residential neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina.

The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority (SLFPA) was established by Louisiana state law Revised Statute §38:330.1 in September 2006. Its operation began in January 2007. The Authority consists of two regional levee boards which oversee flood protection in the Greater New Orleans area on the east and west banks of the Mississippi River. Commissioners of both Authorities have clearly defined term limits. The Authority also has a Nominating Committee.

<i>When the Levees Broke</i> 2006 American documentary series

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts is a 2006 documentary film directed by Spike Lee about the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana following the failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina. It was filmed in late August and early September 2005, and premiered at the New Orleans Arena on August 16, 2006 and was first aired on HBO the following week. The television premiere aired in two parts on August 21 and 22, 2006 on HBO. It has been described by Sheila Nevins, chief of HBO's documentary unit, as "one of the most important films HBO has ever made." The title is a reference to the blues tune "When the Levee Breaks" by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.

Karen Carter Peterson is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a member of the Louisiana State House from 1999 to 2010, then as the state senator from the 5th district until her resignation in 2022. She also served as the chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party from 2012 to 2020, becoming the first female chair of the state party. In 2008, Peterson became as Democratic National Committeewoman for Louisiana. In 2017, Peterson was elected vice chair of civic engagement and voter participation for the Democratic National Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Rose (journalist)</span> American journalist

Chris Rose is a New York Times Best-Selling New Orleans, Louisiana, writer and journalist. For years best known for light-hearted writing in the Times-Picayune, he gained greater attention for his chronicles of the effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans since 2005.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is involved with a wide spectrum of public works projects: environmental protection, water supply, recreation, flood damage and reduction, beach nourishment, homeland security, military construction, and support to other Governmental agencies. Through 19 Flood Control Acts since 1917, Congress has authorized the Corps of Engineers to be involved with flood protection and damage reduction in almost every state of the union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Cao</span> Vietnamese-American activist and politician (born 1967)

Ánh Quang "Joseph" Cao is a Vietnamese–American politician who was the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district from 2009 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he is the first Vietnamese American and first native of Vietnam to serve in Congress.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is involved with a wide spectrum of public works projects: environmental protection, water supply, recreation, flood damage and reduction, beach nourishment, homeland security, military construction, and support to other Governmental agencies. In nineteen (19) different Flood Control Acts since 1917, the United States Congress has authorized the corps to design and build flood protection projects and one risk reduction system in the Greater New Orleans area and throughout the nation.

James Gill is a writer and a columnist from the United Kingdom.

Victor O. Ukpolo is the former Chancellor of Southern University at New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Cowen</span> Professor and academic administrator

Scott S. Cowen is president emeritus of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was also Seymour S. Goodman Memorial Professor in the A.B. Freeman School of Business and professor of economics in Tulane's School of Liberal Arts. He was interim president of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio from 2020 to 2021, and currently serves as Distinguished Presidential Visiting Professor of Leadership and Management at CWRU. He has written more than a hundred peer-reviewed journal articles and five books. His most recent book, Winnebagos on Wednesdays: How Visionary Leadership Can Transform Higher Education, was published by Princeton University Press in 2018. Cowen is the eponym of Tulane's Cowen Institute and chairs its board of advisors. Cowen served as Tulane's 14th president from July 1998 through June 2014.

Michael Kirk Talbot is an American politician from Louisiana. A Republican, Talbot has represented the 10th district in the Louisiana State Senate since 2020, and previously represented the 78th district in the Louisiana House of Representatives between 2008 and 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "Ivor van Heerden | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  2. ↑ van Heerden, Ivor; Bryan, Mike (2006), The Storm: What Went Wrong and why During Hurricane Katrina: the Inside Story from One Louisiana Scientist, New York: Viking, p. 308, ISBN   0670037818
  3. ↑ Schwartz, John (May 30, 2006), "Ivor van Heerden's 'Storm' Draws Fire at L.S.U.", The New York Times , retrieved April 13, 2009
  4. ↑ Schleifstein, Mark (April 9, 2009), "Ivor van Heerden, who pointed fingers in Hurricane Katrina levee failures, fired by LSU", Times-Picayune, retrieved April 13, 2009
  5. ↑ Shearer, Harry (April 12, 2009), Le Show, KCRW , retrieved April 13, 2009 (Interview is from 26:04 to 44:34 in the downloadable podcast or 31:30 to 50:00 in the aired/streaming version).
  6. ↑ "Academic Freedom and Tenure: Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge". AAUP. 2012-11-21. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  7. ↑ Marshall, Bob (April 14, 2009). "TOO TRUE: Ivor van Heerden pointed fingers at the feds after Katrina, and LSU decided its funding was at risk". Times-Picayune (Saint Tammany ed.). p. B5. Archived from the original on October 23, 2009.
  8. ↑ Settoon, Charles E. (April 21, 2009). "Geologist out of his league". Times-Picayune . p. B4. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012.
  9. ↑ Smith, Charlie (April 14, 2009). "At LSU, being brave and right just isn't enough". Times-Picayune (Saint Tammany ed.). p. B4. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04.
  10. ↑ Menszer, John (April 15, 2009). "Scientist's ouster short-sighted". Times-Picayune (Saint Tammany ed.). p. B4. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009.
  11. ↑ Ivan Gill, "Move signals priorities at LSU" in Times-Picayune, 2009 April 15, Saint Tammany Edition, p. B4.
  12. ↑ Keith Wehmeier, "Send LSU message of outrage" in Times-Picayune, 2009 April 21, Saint Tammany Edition, p. B4.
  13. ↑ "James A. Cobb, Jr., Esquire". American Health Law Association. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  14. ↑ James A. Cobb Jr., Powerful interests wanted scientist out of LSU, [ permanent dead link ]Times-Picayune, 2009 April 18, Saint Tammany Edition, p. B4.
  15. ↑ Schwartz, John (2009-04-17). "Louisiana State Fires Hurricane Expert Who Warned of Katrina Flooding". The Lede. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  16. ↑ "LSU Professor Ivor van Heerden Files Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Against LSU and University Officials for 'Campaign of Retaliation' for Criticizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Following Hurricane Katrina" (Press release).
  17. ↑ "Van Heerden v. Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical..., 3:10-cv-00155". CourtListener. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  18. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Ivor van Heerden on Settlement with LSU | Levees.Org".
  19. ↑ "LSU spent nearly $1 million on legal fight over firing of coastal researcher Ivor van Heerden". 3 April 2013.
  20. ↑ Kruth, Susan (2013-04-05). "LSU Blows $1 Million on Losing Fight against Professor It Fired over Katrina Comments | The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression". www.thefire.org. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  21. 1 2 3 Myers, Lisa (September 2, 2005), "Was FEMA ready for a disaster like Katrina?", NBC Nightly News, retrieved April 13, 2009
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.