New York - May 23, 2006 - National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial called upon U.S. Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey to establish an independent commission responsible for the immediate inspection of the nation's flood protection system, in light of conclusions by a National Science Foundation panel that breaches in New Orleans' levees were the result of design, construction and maintenance flaws.

In a letter to Secretary Harvey and Army Corps of Engineers Commander Lt. Gen. Carl A. Strock, Morial predicted that what happened in New Orleans could easily happen elsewhere in major metropolitan areas along the east and gulf coasts.

"With national forecasters predicting at least four to six major storms this hurricane season, the U.S. government must act quickly or risk putting even larger numbers of urban Americans, a majority of them poor and financially unable to evacuate to safety on their own, in major peril," he wrote.

"It is obvious that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has failed in its responsibility to protect urban Americans in hurricane-prone areas from Katrina-like disasters. That is exactly why an independent commission is needed to identify and rectify problems before it is too late."

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