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Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Since We Asked Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend September 11, 2005 This map showing projected flooding in New Orleans during a Category 4 hurricane was published in 1985 by Benchmark Maps of Medford. Mapping out disaster From flood levels to demographics, a Medford firm’s 1985 map of potential hurricane effects forecast Katrina with eerie accuracy By CHRIS CONRAD Mail Tribune When President Bush said "I don’t think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees" on ABC’s "Good Morning America" a day after Katrina pounded New Orleans, the production manager of Benchmark Maps was floored. "I said, ‘My God, man.’ Every professional knew this was a possibility," Lawrence Andreas said. His proof: An atlas created in Benchmark’s downtown Medford office 20 years ago details the possible effects of a Category 4 hurricane hitting the Gulf Coast. The 53-page Southeast Louisiana Storm Surge Atlas is a detailed and grimly prescient overview of 12 hurricane scenarios and the effects each could have on the land and people of Louisiana. The project sparked in 1985 when Benchmark owner Stuart Allan was approached at a trade show by officials from Louisiana’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, Andreas said. Advertisement Program manager Madhu Beriwal presented Allan with hurricane data compiled by scientists and cartographers. She commissioned Benchmark to put the information into publishable form, Andreas said. The atlas was one of the first projects Andreas worked on after joining Benchmark earlier that year. "They did the book design and layout and we did the production," Andreas said. This included colorizing the maps and doing all of the line work and typography. In other words, Benchmark made the atlas readable and visually appealing. "They wanted to get it out to all the appropriate agencies and individuals having to do with disaster preparedness," Andreas said. The Associated Press reported that Katrina’s winds peaked at 145 mph with a 22-foot storm surge inundating the coastline. The atlas describes how a storm of this magnitude would overtake the levees around Lake Pontchartrain and devastate the city. Katrina slowed to a Category 4 before hitting land,and the results closely match the atlas’ description of the aftermath of a Category 4 storm. "Levees seem to be overtopped for the first time in major sections ... populated areas could have most residential and some commercial structures destroyed totally," the atlas states. Last week, as news reports of Katrina’s fury streamed in, Andreas was reminded of the atlas he helped make 20 years earlier. "I kept thinking about the map that showed" New Orleans under 20 feet of water, he said. The atlas was correct in its assessment of New Orleans’ levee situation in the face of a direct hit. It details the possibility of water contamination stemming from massive flooding. "All human efforts feasible should be made to secure the largest evacuation response rate possible," the book states. The atlas contains a section on evacuation planning based on 12 scenarios. Each scenario corresponds to a category of storm and directs the reader to a map showing the effects of, say, Category 4 fast-moving storm coming from the south. Each map shows which areas would be hardest hit and predicts flood levels throughout the area. The atlas was also correct in its foresight into the disturbing class issues a devastating storm would uncover. "It has been found that minorities and elderly persons are disproportionately affected during emergencies," it states. "These groups may not receive adequate warning, may take longer to mobilize, and may be more susceptible to serious injury as a result of living in more hazardous locations and in less hurricane-resistant homes." The atlas’ print run was small. Most went to universities and government agencies in Louisiana, Andreas said. Apparently, Louisiana’s Office of Emergency Preparedness was pleased with Benchmark’s work. "They wanted to do more maps for other areas along the Gulf Coast, but no one wanted to pay for it," Andreas said. Reach reporting intern Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail Mapping out disaster ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems California Casinos Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Advertisement s