Louisiana Governor Jindal: Get Ready to Get Out of Flood's Way

Associated Press ^ | Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 9:38 p.m. | MARY FOSTER & MICHAEL KUNZELMAN

[chemicalman]

BUTTE LAROSE, La. |

Ripples of fear rose Tuesday along the normally placid bayous of the Atchafalaya basin, the corridor through which a torrent of surging water could be unleashed if authorities decide in coming days to ease the strain on Mississippi River levees by opening the Morganza Spillway northwest of Baton Rouge.

[chemicalman]

Personally, we have been in a drought in SE La. All this water coming down the river, and can't use an ounce of it to water the gardens or lawn. Unless the levee breaks.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Is this the water project called “Old River”? I read about it years ago in a book by John McPhee. Fascinating stuff.

[The Cajun]

Unless the levee breaks.

The idiot classic rock station I listen to played *When The Levee Breaks* by Led Zeppelin twice today.

[RobbyS]

Neverf rains but it pours!

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Is New Orleans going to flood again because of this volume of water coming down the Mississippi and cresting? Is this what everyone is afraid of?

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Never mind, it’s a separate water project. Prayers for you guys!!

[chris_bdba]

I think the biggest fear I’ve read of is that the river is going to decide where it locates itself to rather than the idea man has had the past 100 years?

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I’m not an expert but the water in the Mississippi wants to divert into the Atchafalaya Basin. Usually they keep it mainly in the original channel, but they are planning to let a good deal of the water go there. So many industries exist in that part of the country that someone will be hurt. Not only by flooding of buildings, but by flushing out the tidal water with fresh water, hurting the fishing industry. No one is happy with how much/little water they get in their area. John McPhee wrote a piece about it years ago - I think you can find it on the internet.

[JLLH]

Only one aspect... and not likely to happen if the water is diverted, but there are communities all around those bayous and the Spillway. They’d have to be evacuated, and of course anyone without flood insurance that was in the path of the Miss. as it’s being diverted, well....

[thecodont]

John McPhee wrote a piece about it years ago - I think you can find it on the internet.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1987/02/23/1987_02_23_039_TNY_CARDS_000347146

[chemicalman]

Song was stuck in my head all day, and I haven’t heard it on the radio.

[The Cajun]

A possible dynamic not considered is the large amount of oilfield canals that were dammed off to prevent storm surge and salt water intrusion from the gulf.
That is great when the water wants to flow from south to north, but not so great when you want the water to flow from north to south as will be the case when the Morganza spill way is opened.
Won't be good for the cities of Houma and Morgan City if the flow southward is restricted significantly.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Thank you.

[bruinbirdman]

Those guys in Butte La Rose are wasting their time. That little hamlet is on the only high ground smack in the middle of the Atchafalaya Swamp. And the ground ain't that high.

This is Butte La Rose. That is the Atchafalaya River a distributary of the Mississippi. This is where the water is diverted so it won't flood Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

yitbos

[The Cajun]

Live in northern Lafourche west of Thibodaux, am keeping a close eye on the situation.
Worse case latest projection, the water *backup* could come within 5-10 miles of where I live, like it did in 1973.
Didn't need to hear *When The Levee Breaks* today :^)

[The Cajun]

Lots of small communities like Stephenville, Pierre Part, Gibson and Amelia are probably going to be in a world of hurt also.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

BUTTE LAROSE, La is ~40 miles west of Baton Rouge and therefore not on the Mississippi. So the diversion of water from the Mississippi 40 miles west drains out southward through Attakappas Wildlife Park through the Patterson/Morgan City area and then into the Gulf? Places like Amelia are going to get flooded too.

Boy, I sure hope they know what they're doing. That's a lot of water coming down the Mississippi.

[matthew fuller]

More info here:

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/projects_show_morganza_spillwa.html

and here:
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20110510/NEWS01/105100316

[SuziQ]

The idiot classic rock station I listen to played *When The Levee Breaks* by Led Zeppelin twice today.

Should have played Randy Newman's "Louisiana".

What has happened down here is the wind have changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it start to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through clear down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline.

CHORUS
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away

President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, "Little fat man isn't it a shame what the river has done
To this poor crackers land.

CHORUS

[Pelham]

“Should have played Randy Newman’s “Louisiana”.”

A truly great song.