Memphis escapes Mississippi’s brunt
Towns to south gird for flooding
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After hitting nearly 48 feet and sending water oozing onto the edge of downtown and through some low-lying areas, the Mississippi River peaked Tuesday without swamping Memphis, but officials warned that it was too early to exhale and said the river would be high for weeks.
Downstream, fear of major inundations grew as the river rumbled south through Mississippi and Louisiana, swollen by unusually heavy rains and runoff from melting winter snows to the north.
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers opened 44 more gates to the Bonnet Carre spillway in Norco, La., diverting floodwater into Lake Pontchartrain. The spillway was opened on Monday, the first time since 1973.
The possible opening of the Morganza Spillway, north of Baton Rouge, spurred residents and officials in the lower Atchafalaya basin to begin bracing for the possible rush of up to 25 feet of water in some areas. The opening of the spillway would reduce the likelihood of flooding in more populated cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said that a decision on whether to open the floodgates would likely not be made until Saturday, when the water is expected to reach the “trigger point” of 1.5 million cubic feet per second at the Red River Landing gauge.
Jindal urged the estimated 2,500 people within the spillway, in cities like Krotz Springs, Butte La Rose and Morgan City, to begin preparations in case of an evacuation. An additional 22,500 people could be affected by backwater flooding.
“We know a lot of water is coming our way,” Jindal said. “No reason for folks who live in low-lying areas to wait until the last minute.”
Unlike the hurricanes, tornadoes and other catastrophes that have hit the southern United States in recent years, the situation in Memphis seemed tame. Most of the city appeared normal, and road closures due to flooding were scattered.
Along the riverfront, locals and tourists snapped pictures throughout the day, exclaiming at the river’s astonishing width but unaffected by the water themselves unless they walked close enough to dip their feet into it.
In low-lying residential areas, though, the high water, while not a record, was a drama that pushed hundreds of people from their homes into shelters and an uncertain future.