How New Orleans Fortified Itself Against Water In the past 10 years, the Army Corps has built the largest surge barrier of its kind and the largest drainage-pump station in the world People walk by a levee Friday. Photo: Cheryl Gerber/Zuma Press July 12, 2019 9:26 pm ET Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, about $14.6 billion has been spent on Army Corps of Engineers upgrades for hurricane defenses in the New Orleans area. In the past 10 years, the Corps has built the largest surge barrier of its kind and the largest drainage-pump station in the world. It also strengthened levees, floodwalls, gated structures and pump stations that form the 133-mile Greater New Orleans perimeter system. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-ne...shareToken=st58851a5c8e954e838e301e548f8150ff