A report is expected to be released in February documenting the trail of decisions that led to the design, construction and condition of the New Orleans flood defenses as they were when Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed them on Aug. 29, 2005.

In announcing the “Hurricane Protection DecisionChronology” last June, Maj. Gen. Don T. Riley, the Army Corps of Engineers’ director of civil works, said the record of planning, policy and fiscal decisions will complement the engineering studies recently completed. The report, now undergoing technical reviews, is intended to help citizens and policy makers avoid repeating old mistakes as they make new choices to reconstitute and enhance the region’s storm and flood protections.