Levees at work against Mississippi flood
Due to weeks of continuous heavy rain, coupled with a runoff from an unusually snowy winter, thousands of homes and over 3 million acres of farmland in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas have been flooded. In a desperate attempt to save neighboring large cities from the floods, U.S, Army Corps of Engineers are working day and […]
Due to weeks of continuous heavy rain, coupled with a runoff from an unusually snowy winter, thousands of homes and over 3 million acres of farmland in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas have been flooded. In a desperate attempt to save neighboring large cities from the floods, U.S, Army Corps of Engineers are working day and night to implement solutions. The most recent one was to open the floodgates in the Morganza Spillway, north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, allowing an estimated 100,000 cubic feet of river water to flow into the Atchafalaya Basin every second.
Farm land, live stock and thousands of home that came in the way of the floods have been left devastated, despite countless efforts. There are a few homes, though, that have surprisingly managed to survive the high waters, which reports say have reached a record height of 58.5 feet. Right below you can see a an extraordinary example of a man made levee at work protecting a Mississippi home from the waters of the Yazoo river, which has been forced to raise its banks by the Mississippi river. Click on the photos for a higher resolution view.
A bastion of dry land protected by a levee in the midst of the flooded Yazee. (c) Scott Olson/Getty Images
A partially protected home, as the levee couldn't fully handle the Yazee. (c) Scott Olson/Getty Images
A flooded home surrounded by a makeshift levee that failed in Vicksburg, Mississippi. (c) AP Photo/Dave Martin
Check out more extraordinary photos from the Mississippi floods in a photo report by The Atlantic.
