DisastersMemphis flood fear eases, Louisiana and Mississippi brace for worst
Residents living near the Mississippi River have been battling a record surge of water that is slowly making its way south sending a deluge of water beyond the river’s banks and into nearby communities; on Tuesday, the river’s crest made its way through Memphis hitting near record levels of 47.8 feet; so far the levees along the river have been holding up; residents of Louisiana and Mississippi are bracing for similar record water levels as the crest winds southward; to help ease the pressure on the levee system, the Army Corps of Engineers opened up several spillways on Monday including parts of the Bonnet Carre spillway; the region has received 600 percent more rain than usual for this time of year
Memphis escaped record high-water, and flooding is receding // Source: joespakeblog.com
On Tuesday, the river’s crest made its way through Memphis, Tennessee hitting near record levels of 47.8 feet. The river is at its highest level since 1937 when it reached 48.7 feet, 14.7 feet above the flood plain.
So far the levees along the river have been holding up, but Bob Nations, the director of the Shelby County Office of Preparedness, is more concerned with the tributaries that feed into the Mississippi River.
Tributaries and creeks like the Wolf and Loosahatchie Rivers have been inundated with water and have cresting their banks causing flooding in the suburbs of Memphis and nearby Shelby County.
Roughly 400 residents were forced to evacuate to higher ground, and local officials strongly encouraged families to leave their homes.
Local officials estimate that roughly 3,000 properties were affected by the floods, and if the river rises higher, an additional 2,000 properties would be at risk.
While the crest has passed the city, Colonel Vernie Reichling, the commander of the Army Corps of Engineers in Memphis, warned that it will take several days before the waters begin to recede.
“The flooding is going to stay,” he said. “This river is not going to drop below 47 (feet) until early next week at the earliest. And that means all the tributaries that flow into this are going to stay high.”
With the river’s crest rolling south from Memphis, the flood waters have begun to retreat upriver in Arkansas.
Sixteen towns in Arkansas were affected by the floods and at least three people have died as a result of the surging waters. Since the severe storms and tornadoes hit the state on 23 April, eighteen people have been confirmed dead.
Meanwhile downstream residents of Louisiana and Mississippi are bracing for similar record water levels as the crest heads south. Locals have been hard at work sandbagging the banks and 400 National Guard members have been deployed by Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal.
To help ease the pressure on the levee system, the Army Corps of Engineers opened up several spillways on Monday including parts of the Bonnet Carré spillway.
This move has allowed water from the Mississippi River to flow into Lake Pontchartrain, relieving pressure as the river winds towards New Orleans. According to the Corps, an estimated fifty Olympic-sized swimming pools of water is being diverted from the river each minute.
The crest of the Mississippi is expected to hit Louisiana next week, and the Corps is currently waiting to determine if it needs to open the Morganza spillway to further ease the strain on levees.
Torrential rains over the past several weeks are largely to blame for the recent bout of flooding. Meteorologists say that the region has received 600 percent more rain than usual for this time of year.
Weather forecasts indicate that rain will not be too heavy over the next several days offering emergency responders a break.
