Most detrimental of floods in Memphis over as Mississippi river crests

The Mississippi river has been engorged for weeks, battering the south with some of the worst flooding on record in many years. Memphis, Tenn., has been inundated with heavy flooding, however the river has crested near the Music City, signifying that the worst is finished. Other areas are still in considerable flood danger, however.

Homeless people

More than 1,000 people have been rendered homeless, however some of the greatest landmarks in the state of Tennessee have gone untouched. The historic Beale Street district, a landmark of Music City, was not touched by floodwaters, according to the BBC. There was no hard done to Graceland by the Mississippi. Graceland was the home of Elvis Presley until 1977 when he perished. Even if individuals had to “charge hell with a water pistol,” they would keep Graceland safe. This is what a Shelby County Emergency Management Agency official explained. Flash floods in the Memphis area are a serious concern, reports CBS. About 1,300 homes were evacuated due to this fear. The water will take a while to recede.

Worry from the Mississippi

The Mississippi river has enlarged because of the spring thaw, after winter storms buried the East Coast of the United States in near-record amounts of snowfall. However, the floodwaters near Memphis recently crested at 48 feet, less than 10 inches shy of the record set in 1937. The states and cities along the Mississippi river path could have lots of danger to worry about, although Memphis is fairly much past the worst danger. There have been difficulties with the flood in the rest of the Mississippi river system and river delta. Still, precautions are still being taken. The Bonnet Carre Spillway was recently opened by the Army Corps of Engineers in order to relieve pressure from floodwaters on New Orleans’ levees, according to MSNBC. Measures are being taken to prepare for the water going in that direction, although floodwaters are going through the delta already.

Flooding is that bad

The Christian Science Monitor reports that even though the flood levels are bad, they are not as bad as the floods in 1927 killing hundreds and costing millions. The United States Army Corps of Engineers constructed over 2,000 miles of levees. This was because of the flooding that happened in 1927. The water always has to go somewhere though. That means that the Mississippi water has to flood someplace else when the spillways are opened. Floods in Arkansas farmland is expected while the water gets closer to the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, 900,000 acres of farmland are anticipated to flood.

Citations

BBC

bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13337548

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/42973616/ns/us_news-environment/

CBS

cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/09/travel/main20061138.shtml

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0509/Mississippi-River-nears-crest-in-Memphis-but-concern-shifts-south