An MSNBC guest asserted Thursday that natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Katrina are actually “man-made disasters.”

Rick Stengel, former under secretary of state for public diplomacy, blamed politicians and city planners for the extent of the damage caused by Harvey and Katrina.

“Part of the problem with Harvey, like Katrina, is these are man-made disasters in part because the thousands of buildings that have been built in Houston on flood plains–on 100 year flood plains–over the past ten years, these are public officials and unregulated expansion that has made this area vulnerable,” Stengel claimed.

Stengel then seemed to criticize the plan of officials to rebuild the city of Houston “bigger and better” after the flooding subsides.

“To me, it’s not about building bigger and better, it’s about building to a 500 and 1000 year plan like Amsterdam and other cities are built,” he said.

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