The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Army Corps of engineers" ...
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A Failure to Warn
The investigation shows why flood predictions for Nashville have been very inaccurate. The Army Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service had not alerted the government or the public that water was being released into the Cumberland River. The reporter finds that the two agencies barely communicated during the floods, leading to the spread of incorrect information.
Tags: Army Corps of Engineers; floods; National Weather Service; dam; flood prediction
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Impossible Dream: Rebuilding Afghanistan amid corruption, nepotism, and mismanagement
The investigation examines the Obama administration's efforts to create a modern, secure nation in Afghanistan.
Tags: Afghanistan; War on Terror; al Qaeda; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; reconstruction
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Pumps Under Pressure: A story of risk and reliability after Katrina
After Hurricane Katrina and the hurricane protection had failed, many people questioned how well the Army Corps had done their job. One of them questioning is a 10-year Army Corps veteran, Maria Garzino. "Her concerns have spurred internal inquires, General Accounting Office reports, and congressional hearings."
Tags: Engineering; New Orleans; Army Corps; Hydraulic; Hurricane
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American's Neglected Levees
Scripps reviewed the federal and state level system of levee oversight and found that no one at any level of government knows where all levees are, what they protect or what shape they are in. Thousands of communities are being forced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get levees certified under a national upgrade of flood hazard maps, but even FEMA admits the standards are outdated and don't accurately reflect the risks to people behind them.
Tags: FEMA; levee; flood; Army Corps of Engineers; infrastructure; National Levee Safety Committee; insurance
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Hurricane Katrina: How New Orleans' Levees Failed
The reporters investigated how the New Orleans levee system, built to protect the city from flooding, failed when Hurricane Katrina hit. The authors found that a large part of the problem with the levees boiled down to human error - mistakes that cost hundreds of lives.
Tags: New Orleans; Hurricane Katrina; levees; Army Corps of Engineers; levee failure; flooding; hurricanes
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Investigating Broken Levees
Levee experts commissioned to study the flooding of New Orleans testify that the Army Corps of Engineers contractors' work on the New Orleans levees was substandard. The experts quoted contacted the NewsHour and the New York Times exclusively to publicize the information
Tags: New Orleans; levee; Hurricane Katrina; Army Corps of Engineers; flooding
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Sedimentary journey: Dredging at end of line
This article examines the recent dredging of the Providence River. It discusses the many ways in which the project was successful, and summarizes the main points of the debate surrounding the project.
Tags: Army Corp of Engineers; river; environment; dredging; nature; pollution; water pollution
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Vanishing Wetlands
The authors used satellite imagery to determine how many acres of Florida's wetlands had disappeared since 1990, when President George H.W. Bush promised to ensure no net loss of wetlands. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the wetlands, but the organization's record-keeping is so incomplete that they have no accurate record of how many acres of wetlands were saved and how many were destroyed. The reporters found that government records regarding the creation of new wetlands were full of "creative accounting and questionable science."
Tags: environment; wetlands; preservation; ecosystem; wildlife; Army Corps of Engineers; FOIA; data analysis; satellite imagery; mapping
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Flood Threat
The authors found that 30,000 homes in San Joaquin County, CA were built in areas prone to flooding. Furthermore, the levees protecting the homes are unstable and insufficient.
Tags: flooding; water damage; GIS; FEMA; mapping; Army Corp of Engineers
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The Judge's Subdivision
Hector San Miguel, the city editor at American Press, received a tip that State District Judge Wilford Carter was building residential subdivisions without required permits, even though the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State Licensing Board of Contractors warned him not to do so. Carter continued building subdivisions on top of a restricted wetlands area without getting the required permits first and hid his wrongdoing's from the City Council and local zoning board. When owners of some of the lots came forward to be reimbursed, Carter refused to give them their money.
Tags: real estate; public officials; judge corruption; State Licensing Board of Contractors; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers