this house going up, protected by a levee, is ken dorsey's. now about half complete, the city's rebuilt flood-protection system will cost $14.6 billion. but by next year's hurricane season, it's supposed to be able to stop a 100-year flood. is new orleans safer? >> yeah, absolutely. >> reporter: colonel edphlegmings, the new commander of the u.s. army corps of engineers. >> it's a reliable system. it's a resilient system and it is tied in, in all areas. >> reporter: but after the levees failed, a federal judge blamed the corps for mismanaging the patc patchwork barrier systm that collapsed for creating the disaster. but it's not just the corps now rebuilding reputations. take mike brown, who found infamie in a presidential atta boy. >> brownie, you're doing a heck of a job. >> if you watch that tape again, you'll see my wince. >> reporter: this mike brown the former fema director. >> i was asking for things, telling them what we needed. >> reporter: brown said all government agencies involved in katrina's second disaster, the response, learned