ancient temp until syria. we introduce you to these men determined to save these treasures. will he run in vice president biden's potential bid to the white house takes a big turn, thanks so some surprising words from the white house. plus new orleans now. he lead the fight in the days after katrina. now tens years later, general russell turns to a city forever changed since that storm. ♪ we begin with the aftermath of one of the most volatile trading days on wall street in years. china's shanghai composite lost more than 8%. that sent shock waves through financial markets ash -- around the world. the dow dropped sharply, and lost nearly 1100 points in minutes. it wasn't enough to stop the dow from losing 588 points for the day. mary snow is here with more. >> that size drop was seen as a good thing, since it could have been far worse. there was a sense that this wasn't a flashback to the financial crisis of 2008, because now the u.s. economy is showing signs of growth, but that didn't stop a gut-wrenching day on wall street. as one trader put it, the day on wall street was nothing short of wild. the market was braced for stocks to sell off. but even veterans didn't see this one coming. within ten minutes of the opening bell, the dow jones industrial average fell more than 1,000 points. it was the largest one-day point loss ever. stocks moves higher as the day went on, but were still down nearly 4% at the closing bell. the dow closed down 588 points. >> it will always reflect the fundamentals and as we sit here today, the fundamentals do not speak to a recession, do not speak to a credit freeze in the united states, and therefore, qualit companies are okay to buy. >> reporter: the dramatic swings left everyone trying to figure out what went wrong. worry over china's economy and what kind of ripple effects it would have were the dominate fears. low oil prices were also weighing on investors, and then there's the federal -- reserve and whether it will raise interest rates. >> lower oil prices, lower commodity prices, all of these things are a longer-term positive for the u.s. economy, and global growth, so i think to some extent we need to look beyond this initial knee-neshg reaction. >> reporter: adding to the rocky ride is the fact that much of the trading done is computerized. the big question is, what happens now in all anyone could agree on seemed to be that more turg lens is on its way. the block of 1987 was a drop of 22.6%, at its worse today it was just under 7% and it was under 4% by the end of the day. >> tomorrow on wall street, will there be another massive selloff, if there is, is there any measures to try to control of the volatility. >> there are pressures. the stock exchange imposed something called rule 48, where basically specialists human beings are called in to help smooth the volatility. also if there are drops on the s&p 500 of 7, 13, and 20%, there will be a pause in trade. >> why didn't it happen this morning? >> because as we said the worst drop was just under 7%. right? and there was a pretty quick swing after that big drop. >> uh-huh. so it didn't hit the mark. >> right. >> all right. mary thank you very much. >> sure. and joining us now is "on target" ali velshi. talk about this from a global perspective. what was your reaction to it? >> this is very interesting, because it's not like the last time we saw something like this happen in the stock market which was 2008. the last time you saw these massive moves, it had to do with domestic economy fundamentals calling apart. they are quite strong in the united states, but china is worrisome. it has been unable to shift its economy into one that is more like an american economy where consumers make more spending decisions for themselves. so they have fallen back on their old ways of being the factory floor of the world, and in order to do that, they lowered the value of its currency. in that will make chinese-produced goods less expensive around the world, and western-produced goods more expensive. then you move over to oil -- >> let me stop you right there. before we move on to oil. because there are some businesses who don't do much business with china but were down big time today. they do most of their business in the united states. what does that tell snus >> sort of. you look at the s&p 500, right, largely moves in lock step with the dow, but it's 500 companies, and half f their profits come from oversees. if you look at china it has changed from being the place you buy things from, into a country you want to sell things into. whether you are a tech company, car company, consulting company. there are inroads for manufactured goods into china. so there's real consequence to china's economy slowing down. but if you look at the new york stock exchange, 3,064 companies closed down today, just over 100 closed positively. so it's not about the smart question you just asked, it's about the fact that there is a massive sentimental selloff in the market. and is the united states robust enough to hold up against that. the rest of the world always hopes the u.s. will be the backstop for a global economic slide. we probably can be, but that's what has everybody spooked around the world. >> all right. ali thank you very much. much more on the financial markets coming up at the half hour, including reaction from the campaign trail. now to the wildfires burning in the west. washington state now has the biggest fire in history. and it could continue to burn for months. sabrina is in ohmac, washington tonight. sabrina. >> reporter: john, we're in the parking lot of a home improvement store in northwest central washington, and if you can see behind me, there are campers back there, tables are set up as well as chairs and coolers stocked with food. some people here have been here a week. they have been forced from their homes because of the fire as you mentioned, the largest fire now in state history. it's more than 25,000 acres, just 12,000 acres overnight in the last few hours, so it's really growing rapidly. 12,000 houses still remain in jeopardy. the residents we spoke with today, those who have been evacuated, they say they simply wait and worry. there's no welcome mat, but this lake side park campsite is home for the parker family and others right now. they have been camping since they fled their north central washington house a week ago. >> we left. we was there for roughly four hours and evacuated all of the town. >> reporter: when flames from the fire showed no signs of slowing. >> we watched trees erupt and literally explode into huge columns of flames as what -- like a roman candle would. a scale of 1 to 10, this would be a 15. how is that? >> reporter: the parkers are hardly alone. in the town about 30 miles away, evacuated residents like sandy, finds some comfort sharing stories with other displaced families in the parking lot of a home improvement store. the tables are stocked with food and supply from this store as well as community donations. >> they have been absolute phenomenal. they have made us feel so welcome and secure. they have cared for us, they are feeding us. >> reporter: but it may be a while before they find out if they have a home to return home to. it is now washington state's largest wildfire on record. more than 400 square miles have burned here, and it's growing rapidly. the smokey air acts as a lid but grounds the aerial assault. >> it's a double-edged sword. it prevents us from being able to use aviation assets to their fullest extent. >> reporter: families desperately tried to reach neighbors. neighbors who ignored evacuation orders and refused to leave their homes and businesses. jesse finally reaches his younger sister, searching for any word on their home. >> where is your fire at? it was at rick's house last night? >> reporter: for now the family waits it out, wondering what is next. and jesse says that they will stay another night in that area, in the two tents and the camper where they have been staying for the last several days. their home is in a level three evacuation area. they have been trying to get ahold of neighbors, those who stayed behind. and the neighbors say they don't think their home is burned, but they are just not sure, john. thank you very much. president obama is in las vegas tonight to deliver the keynote address at the national clean-energy summit. the president is unexpected to unveil new initiatives encouraging the use of alternative power. the white house says the speech will focus on getting clean energy. much of the focus at the clean-energy summit is on alternative power sources outside of the home. more and more businesses are going green, not necessarily out of concern for the environment, but to make more money. jake ward is in san francisco with that. jake? >> reporter: john, it is true, once upon a time really you would only be a sort of crack pot engineer or diy off the grid type if you built your life or business around solar power or wind. now suddenly people that used to do this for moral reasons are beginning to do it for business reasons. american companies used to go green because it was good publicity, now they are going green because it's profitable. >> when i started working in clean energy in the 1980s, the joke was there were a few crock-pot billionaires who made their next billion in clean industry. now you can legitimate make your first billion in clean tech. >> dupont ridiculed the notion of ozone depletion. in 1999 it announced it would cut emissions by 60%. by 2010 it was making a fortune selling alternatives, and also reported an annual savings of over $2 billion through energy efficiency. that's roughly the same element it was declaring in annual profits. the environmental challenges we face are causing us to look at cultural patterns we abandoned from the fast generation. if you look at the san francisco bay bridge behind me, you can see the traffic is entirely carried on the top deck. when it opened on the 30s, the top deck was for all cars going two directions, that's all they needed. the bottom direct was only for delivery vehicles and an electric train system running in two directions. now that kind of concept may be worth another look. ryan runs a company that builds electric buses. >> you have 70,000 diesel buses on the road today, and it typically gets 4 miles a gallon. >> reporter: but electric mass transit could also be good business. >> if california moved to electric transportation, it would reap the environmental benefits, but the fuel would be a locally-produced asset. so you would have a job creation benefit on the power side as well as on the vehicle side. >> reporter: it's that sort of economic incentive that is powering this new wave of companies. >> meetings like the clean energy summit are all about bringing together hardware, innovators and technologies with financial innovators, and that i think has changed the mind set where you could legitimately be the cleanest company in the room and choose to change mind sets. >> reporter: anyplace you see an established problem -- we are used to the notion that our phones die at the end of every day, people in these businesses are beginning to see that as waste, waste that can be zoomed in on and directed to betune of billions maybe even trillions of dollars. so this is not just a engineer's game, this is an entrepreneur's game. where people are building their lives and businesses around these kind of innovations. north and south korea have reached an agreement to back off hostilities. north korea expressed regret for land mines that injured two south korean soldiers. tensions increased last week. three americans who french officials say helped stop as poable blood bath at a high-speed train received france's highest honor today. a british man, chris norman also received the award. the men subdued the alleged gunmen who police say was heavily armed. >> translator: in the name of france, i have to thank you for what you did. since friday, the whole world has admired your courage and solidarity which lead you empty handed to tackle a man armed to the treat and ready for anything. >> two other men will also receive the honor. a duel french citizen recovering from a bullet wound. another who has asked to remain anonymo anonymous. french authorities say the gunmen was know to security forces and may have travelled to syria. coming up next, syrian refugees why so few are getting into the u.s. and an historic temple destroyed by isil. we'll here from a real life monuments man who are trying to save those irreplaceable artifacts. the formal sentencing hearing for james holmes began today in colorado. at lease 100 survivors and witnesses are expected to testify over three days, about the 2012 movie theater attack that left 12 people dead and dozens more injured. the judge heard some of the heart-breaking statements today about the lives lost and the pain that still haunts family members. >> these last three years since my dad was murdered, i wondered time and again what would have happened had i had the opportunity to intercede before holmes committed such a horrendous time. i would have told him about gordon cowden, a man whom i loved my whole life. the best man i had ever known, and a wonderful father, friend, hero, teacher, and inspiration to each of his four kids. >> the hearing gave victims and relatives a chance to speak out as you heard. holmes sentence is already certain. a divided jury resulted in holmes getting life in prison without parole. several speakers cite sized that sentence saying he deserves the death penalty. a new municipal judge has ordered sweeping changes to ferguson. all arrest warranted issued before december 31st be withdrawn. defendants will receive new court dates or options for changing their sentence. a federal judge in california now putting new pressure on the white house to release migrant families. in july the judge gave me administration two months to change detention policies, which she said violated rules on the treatment of young migrants. late friday she issued a new order, compelling the administration to release the children and their parents without unnecessary delay. and now to the syrian refugee crisis. 25 countries have agreed to take in those fleeing the civil war. just over a thousand have come to the united states. the u.s. gets thousands of application every month. tough homeland security regulations limit how many people can come. but that could soon change. diane eastabrook reports. >> reporter: walking home from school this woman and her son are a world away from the chaos that they left behind in syria four years ago. she says syria's civil war landed on her doorstep when soldiers forced their way into her home with guns drawn late one night. >> i [ inaudible ] told us go to the house and carry the guns, and said you must give us everything or we will [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: what came next was even worse. >> our -- our house destroyed. my family's house was burned. they burned everything in the house. >> reporter: we first met her in june less than a year after the family came to the u.s. and settled in this chicago apartment. they had help from catholic charities. but tougher regulations have limited the number of syrian refugees in the u.s. to about 2,000 by the end of this year. the state department said it plans to triple that number next year. one part of a two-pronged effort. >> most of these people want to go home, and that's understandable. so what we're really committed to is to helping to foster the kind of political transition inside syria, so it is a safe environment for syrian people to return. >> reporter: since the end of last, chicago has become home to about ten syrian families who left their war-torn homeland over the last few years, most have settled in this ethnically diverse neighborhood on the north side. this woman says chicago's cultural diversity is helping their family adapt to their new home. she griefs for a bother killed in the war, and worried about another missing in syria, and misses the extended family she may never see again. >> this morning i was cry, because i feel that i am alone here. to family for me, or no family from my husband. >> reporter: but she is convinced that america will provide a better future for her children. >> america bring us to here, and we will stay here. antiques officials in syria says isil has used explosives to destroy a temple in palmyra. the structure was believed to be nearly 2,000 years old. it also caused the surrounding columns to collapse. the united nations cultural agency, unesco is calling the destruction a war crime. academics from all over the world are working to stop isil from destroying ancient ruins. we michael with michael dante, a real-life monuments man who advises the u.s. government on how to save historical sites before it's too late. >> extremist organizations are waging a war on culture, looting and theft in many different forms has been an important part of the revenue extremes of the networks operating in iraq and now syria. isil takes the cultural property of ethnic and religious minorities, lieutenants archaeological sites and robs cultural repositories. a lot of really brave syrians, many former employees of the department of the antiques, who are risking their lives to photograph the damage, to monitor what is happening on -- in the elicit antiques trade, and gather whatever data is out there, and on a daily basis, they are risking their lives. they could fall prey to extremists kidnapped or killed with the decline in the rule of law and the introduction of large number of extremist organizations into the nation accelerated. we see mosques shrines and tombs being blown to pieces. explosives using heavy machinery. it's difficult to keep up with the rate of the destruction. the scale of destruction is unprecedented since the second word war, but i am hopeful that the conflict will be ended soon, and we can begin the important work of putting it back together. thousands of other antiques are being gathered and stored in damascus for safekeeping. coming up, an update on world financial markets. plus how the market turmoil could help donald trump in the race for president. hi, everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler. stocks and fears, the dow swings wildly, ending the day down 588 points. the plunge, tied to china and the asia markets have just opened. biden's bid. >> i do sol lomly swear -- >> president obama shares its thoughts on a potential run by the vice president. and taking charge -- >> by idea to contribute is to help people solve problems in their community through civil engagement. >> reporter: ten years after hurricane katrina, general russell returns to new orleans, and we're there with him. ♪ it looks like the stock selloff could continue for another day. you are looking at live picture of the tokyo stock exchange. down 700 points right now. chinese stock markets do not open for another hour. worries about the state of the chinese economy led in part to the massive losses on monday. the dow ended down 588 points. the 2016 presidential candidates are reacting to the market volatility. at least one candidate is already trying to capitalize on the turmoil. david shuster reports. >> reporter: monday's turmoil at the new york stock exchange proved to be irresistible for donald trump. he tweeted: and he posted this video on instagram. >> i have been telling everybody for a long time. china is taking our jobs. they are taking our money. be careful. they will bring us down. you have to know what you are doing. we have nobody that has a clue. >> reporter: trump's message that he alone can manage an economic crisis, plays to his top political strengths. polls suggest when it comes to handling the economy more americans trust trump than any other candidate. and he added some populism to details. he said he would cut taxes on middle class workers, and raise rates on hedge funders. >> the hedge fund guys are getting away with murder. they are making a tremendous amount of money. they have to pay taxes. the middle class is getting absolutely destroyed. >> reporter: on the democratic side, bernie sanders always weighed in. the vermont senator ignored china's impact on the united states and focused instead on u.s. banks, quote: over the weekend in new hampshire, sanders said the size of america's largest banks is again, putting the united states at risk. >> my view is that if they are too big to fail, they are too big to exist, let's break them up. >> reporter: david shuster, al jazeera. >> gina is a professor of complain management at nyu. welcome to all of you. genie let me start with you. let's start with donald trump. how does this stuff about china resinate with the voters? >> i think it resinates. what we're seeing is the people that have the pop youist message are coming out and working this to their favor. donald trump is making the claim that the united states has these enormous problems, and he would fix it. so this works to his advantage. and it's the same thing with bernie sanders. >> so david, plenty of people are blaming china. is it fair? >> sure, this part of the selloff, it's certainly all about china. >> all about china. >> it is all about china. when they saw their exports were down 8.3%, they were forced to devalue their currency. they have watched us do it. it's a political opportunity for donald trump and bernie sanders. but like it or not, we live in a global society. and as long as somebody on the other side of planet is willing to do your job and do it well, they will get the market. >> are they on the same page? >> i don't think so. i think bernie sanders playing to a populous theme. the rich against the middle class and poor. donald trump this plays exactly into his hand. because trump is the guy that whether you focus on its bankruptcies or not, he is viewed, john, as the successful billionaire. >> but he complains a lot, but when does he come up with a solution for anything? >> i don't see him coming up with solutions either in this case -- and it's so interesting to me, because as much as you blame china, people are going to take that message and not look at the reality, which is his answers are simplistic, and he is not giving people an answer that resinates. same thing with talk about immigration, his plan makes no sense. you are going to deport 11.2 million people at a cost of $600 billion, it makes no sense. >> most of us remember 2008. are we headed back to 2008? >> i think this is a lot more like 1998 when we wanted to avoid anything global. it's much more like that. this kind of a market disconnect now. we have pockets of strength right now. housing is strong. employment is better than it has been. if you think back to 2007, housing was falling apart, and banks were going under. we're probably a little bit over valued, and the biggest thing that relates to china was this was going to be the next engine of growth. and so many u.s.-multinationals banked on china, and it's starting to sputter. >> let's turn the corner for a second and talk about joe biden. this is what the white house press secretary had to say about biden this afternoon. >> the president has indicated his view that the decision that he made, i guess, seven years ago now, to add joe biden to the ticket as his running mate, was the smartest decision he has ever made in politics. and i think that should give you some view of vice president biden's aptitude for the top job. >> is he going to get in? >> i don't know. that's been a standard talking point from the white house. >> wasn't hillary clinton his woman, from the state department. >> right. so that's why you are going to see president obama should biden decide to enter this race, obama is going to standing on the side. biden if he dozen does enter the race, he will energize his party, but i don't know if he is the guy. he might go along the line of rick perry when he entered a few years ago. remember the debate? >> i do remember. is this all about hilary, genie? >> i was saying monks ago, biden will never get into this thing, and now here we are. i was wrong, john. okay? just go ahead and say it. [ laughter ] >> but i think it is an uphill battle if he gets in. he is enjoying high numbers in the polls. the sympathy from his sons death, just like with hillary clinton, when he left office her numbers were high. he is going to face that. he has no stats, he has no donors. he is six months out from the first primary and caucus. and i think his risk is he is going to look like a spoiler. but if clinton starts to stumble even more, then i think we could see him come in as a save jor, but i think it will be a difficult run. >> now i want to turn to you david, tomorrow morning, given the fact that we saw the drop already, what are we looking for tomorrow. >> i think we're going to have to look to china. we need to see some kind of stabilization there. and these kind of things take a while to wash out. it's not going to be over in 24 or 48 hours. we're not going to know for a couple of months now. >> thank you all very much. bernie sanders has been drawing some of the biggest crowds so far. many pundits have been surprised. supporters say it's nothing short of a political revolution. libby casey reports. >> doesn't look like we could squeeze too many more people in this room. >> reporter: rock star crowds for this 73 year old democratic socialist. >> he looked like he had been just electrocuted. but he spoke with such conviction. >> reporter: this college student drove two hours and stood outside in heat for nearly two more to hear sanders. >> when we began this campaign, people were saying, well, you know, bernie sanders, an interesting guy, but, you know, it's kind of fringy-type candidate. [ laughter ] >> no one takes seriously the idea that maybe, just maybe we need a political revolution in america. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: that revolution, says sanders means politics for the people by the people, and it's a message supporters love. >> you feeling the burn. >> reporter: this 49 year old is spending all of his free time to get sanders elected. he is helping run a very grassroots south carolina support base. >> as you can see for the week of august 12th, we have reached 93,502 people in the state. which is not bad for using a free medium, such as facebook. >> reporter: an all volunteer run. >> all volunteer run. >> reporter: sanders has stood up for things that crow believes in. >> coming from a modest background, i -- i have had my share of struggles, and i have managed to get through technical college off of government grants. this is back in the reagan era, and then a lot of that got cut out. >> reporter: crow wants to see assistance programs grow to more people can earn a good living like he has. and he says sanders is willing to fight a status quo system. >> this isn't about bernny sanders. this is about the people and reforming things. >> reporter: this journally. department dean says it's the message, not the man that is attracting supporters. >> it's an older, angry, kr krin -- cranky, but i think believable candidate who raises issues. it's not about looks or demographics. he'll really about getting something across to whomever will come out and listen to him, and obviously people are. >> reporter: the populous message has drawn this 21 year old to team bernie. >> i really love that his voting record shows that for the past 30 or 40 years, he has supported the same things i was raised to believe in. in equality. >> reporter: she is a college senior who lives about an hour away from columbia. she found out about bernie sanders on facebook. >> i always thought when the time came, hillary clinton would be the candidate they would go for. and at first she was, she really was, and then i started to really dig in and do my research. and i'll be the first to say if hillary clinton gets the democratic nomination, i will vote for her, but my belief is that bernie sanders would be the better president for me. >> reporter: both of wilcox's parents died when she was growing up, and she lives with type 1 diabetes, so she say health care programs are key to her support. how did you react to his speech last night? >> i cried, because for the first time since i was eight years old, i finally felt like there was a politician who heard me and my voice, and the things they wanted and i need as a person. >> reporter: libby casey, al jazeera, south carolina. coming up, new orleans ten years after hurricane katrina. lieutenant general russell hon ray talks about the desperation he witnessed and what he is doing now. plus the innovation of scientists and engineers that could save hundreds of lives in future hurricanes. ♪ ♪ their american dream... we have to pay that price. sierra leone, is celebrating a landmark step in its fight against ebola. antonio mora is here with more. >> sierra leone as been at the heart against the disease. but today it's a step closer to being declared ebola free. the last patient was released from the hospital monday. she left the treatment unit to a chorus of song and even congratulations from the president. but people are warned not to be too lax while the country counts down the days until it can say the ebola crisis is over. hurricane katrina slammed into the gulf coast ten years ago this week. when the levies failed many residences felt the federal government failed them too. a three-star general took charge, and stephanie sy went to talk to the man that is credited with help new orleans get back on its feet. >> we need help! >> reporter: in the darkest days africa trina, general russell honray landed in new orleans. >> the demographics was a large group of senior citizens and women with babies. they were all along here and stretched from the north end to the south. >> reporter: some 16,000 people amassed at the convention center, desperate for food, bathrooms, and most of all, a ride out. >> we have been sleeping in the streets for five days and nights. somebody has to come do something. >> reporter: what did you see in their faces? >> one of desperation. you know, people were hanging on. >> reporter: an exhausted mother of twins hand over her babies. and he doesn't thing twice about taking them. >> hey, tiger, let's go. >> reporter: save lives, and that's what drove him to this moment. hey, weapons down! weapons down dammit! put your weapons down! >> reporter: outnumbered and hearing reports of violence, heavily armed police and troops had been on the defensive. he wasn't having it. >> put that weapon down. >> reporter: ten years later we came back to that spot. >> i was worried about what happened if one of those weapons went off. >> reporter: the major of materi material -- new orleans compared him to john wayne. he became the voice of reason, the answer to new orleans collective call for help. >> there's no power in this city. 80% of the city is under water. some of the major roads are blocked. >> reporter: i can't even imagine the pressure you were under. having seen what the people were literally going through and knowing the logistical challenge of getting them out. >> yeah, we had to break some of the rules. the normal way the government would move that many people, you would have everybody come by and we had to know who you were. we walked people down that street, you got on the bus. >> reporter: yeah. if there were another disaster, would you volunteer your services again? >> absolutely. i would be right there as close as i could get. >> reporter: ten years haven't slowed him down. it seems like you live a pretty charmed life. >> no, i work seven days a week. >> reporter: but on his downtime he goes to his ranch in louisiana. he moved back there after he retired from the army. >> he is my friend and my project away from pollution and talking about katrina or talking about disasters. he's that -- that space i can come hang out with. >> reporter: sure. looking back on the hurricane, honray speaks of the vulnerabilities laid bear by the flood waters. >> new orleans had a human disaster occurring before the storm hit. it had the largest concentration of poor people in the south. >> reporter: is there still that disaster? that socioeconomic, racial disparity in new orleans? >> in a lot of ways yes. with 55% of the city being renters, and for the first three years the government didn't provide any assistance per se for renters. >> reporter: he is trying to close those opportunity gaps. >> i will be ready, willing, and able -- >> reporter: giving students higher education opportunities they aren't otherwise eligible for. he has written two books on leadership and disaster preparedness. and he has formed a new green army. african trina slammed the gulf coast, he noticed oil slicks. the storm disturbed oil wells. >> many times i have been asked to speak about climate change, and i said i'm too busy standing in oil to talk about climate change. it's real here. >> reporter: all of this has lead to an obvious question. do you have political aspirations? >> no. and i have just made an announcement that i wouldn't run for governor after some speculation, but i think my idea to contribute is to help people solve problems in their community through civil engagement. >> reporter: hurricane katrina, gave the louisiana boy who grew up in his words poor on a subsistence farm, the biggest challenge of his life. >> on any given day mother nature can destroy anything built by man. >> reporter: he is home again, facing the storms as they come. stephanie sy, al jazeera america, louisiana. a decade later, new orleans is much better positioned to weather future storms. the army corps of engineers has built a $14.5 billion storm-reduction system for the city. "techknow"'s reporter reports. >> reporter: is new orleans safer than ten years ago? >> i would say new orleans has much, much more robust flood defenses than it did ten years ago. >> reporter: mark park is the chief of operations for the army corps of engineers, new orleans district. he was charged with rebuilding after the storm. the army corps has been working non-stop to mitigate storm damage. their solution, still one year away from complete is the new storm-risk reduction system. it surrounds four of new orleans parrishes. it now includes 133 miles of levies, flood walls, surge barriers, and pumping stations. this innovation, the repel system is also one of the new solutions being tested by the corps. it's enesen shally a gin gint -- giant plug. during katrina, the 17th street canal was the site of one of the worst levy breaches, today it is one of the last pieces in the $14.5 billion defense system. now have the design criteria been more strict, more stringent this time around? >> yes. the system design has really evolved, based a lot on the lessons that were learned from hurricane katrina. >> reporter: for example, an eye wall design was previously used on flood walls. which was a simple beam driven into the ground. now they provide more support around the base of the walls. the entire system is all designed to reduce the advertising associated with a 100-year storm, like katrina, down to 1% each year. >> and phil torres investigated think rebuilding with rita davison from techno. when describing its strategy, the army corps of engineers no longer uses words like protection or defense. why is that? >> yeah, one of the big things the army corps of engineers has done is public education. they are saying yes, you are now safer, but you will always be at risk. it's reduced, but it is still there. big storms will still be coming. >> so do people understand it? has the message reached the public? >> yeah, it seems the conversation has changed at this point. new orleans is a very storm-savvy area. a lot of older residents have been through a lot of big hurricanes. now they have a new form of respect for the storms. if anything katrina has caught people that it was a category 3 hurricane, and still did all of that damage. so now people are definitely more aware. >> so the new storm risk-reduction system, isn't done yet, but is it expected to be completed next year? >> yeah, you know, right now they have this temporary system, but it has been there since 2006, so this new risk reduction system should be online by hurricane season of next year, but they have had some issues can money and politics getting in the way of that construction, but right now they are set for next year. >> so what did you observe? is the city better off today than it was ten years ago in >> i mean, absolutely. if you look at what they had ten years ago, it -- it's amazing that they even would allow that to -- to be the only line of defense. some areas they had a single line of defense. now they have updated everything. from the engineering, even awareness is huge. and one of the big things we have seen is they have even looked into nature, taking -- you know, bringing back the wetlands. >> all right. you can see tech know tomorrow at 3:30 eastern time. that's our broadcast. thank you for watching. i'm john siegenthaler. the news continues next with antonio mora. ♪ >> singeinsinking stocks. >> this is consistent with the we made to china. that they should continue to pursue financial reform. >> plunking 1,000 points right after opening. right after asia stocks opened on tuesday. >> waves of refugees. >> in

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