Louisiana Is About To Be Flooded With A Wall Of Water Nearly As Big As Connecticut

Business Insider ^ | 05/14/2011 | Gregory White

[SeekAndFind]

The Morganza floodway, a safety valve on the Mississippi River that allows water to flow into low lying areas north of major cities, is set to be opened today unleashing a wall of water on the region.

The water flow will impact at least 2,500 people, and potentially as many as 22,500, according to Bloomberg. From Bloomberg:

The opening of Louisiana’s Morganza floodway today may send enough water to fill a football field 10 feet deep every second across the heart of Cajun country, eventually filling an area almost as large as Connecticut.

Major General Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission, has told Col. Edward Fleming to open the spillway as soon as the river’s flow reaches 1.5 million cubic feet per second at Louisiana’s Red River Landing, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement.

The flood is already impacting the area around Memphis, and farmland there is expected to be underwater through the summer. When the floodgate is opened, 15,000 acres of farmland will be flooded in Louisiana as well.

The opening of the Morganza floodway will also have an impact on oil and gas production in the region, as several refineries operate in affected areas.

[RC one]

mother nature strikes again.

[Repeal The 17th]

“...I’m watching it live...”
-
You got a linky dink?

[meatloaf]

The flow at Vicksburg is currently 2.2 million cfs.

http://rivers.anglerguide.com/flows/hw3.php?forecast=riversobs&gauge=VCKM6

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

He’s the Messiah, isn’t he, at least compared to Bush, who is responsible for all the ills of the world?

So he should have raised his limp-wristed little girlie hand and made the rains stop.

[Bernard Marx]

Why are people allowed to build homes and farm in a natural floodplain? If they do it should be entirely at their own risk. This same area flooded in 1927 when the (known) high water mark was set. Big floods happen on a regular basis but people have short memories.

[Clump]

It will take someone smarter than me pull it off.

[smokingfrog]

I think mlizzy is an LA resident.

Corps opens Morganza Spillway

[WePledge]

To be honest, I can't offer a solution to the problem
which would satisfy everyone. There is no way to stop the floods as it stands today. The only thing to do IMHO is to pick certain areas as permanent flood basins and prohibit
populating those areas. This would require Obama strength
overuse of eminent domain and would bring a hue and cry
from affected states. Maybe lease it out for farming.
My original observation was fairly tongue in cheek. The
cries of O not responding to Tx. wildfires and Al.storm
damage and last years refusal to even acknowledge the flood devastation in mid. Tn. all seem to point to it.Sorry if you took me too seriously. My friends have learned not to.lol Patrick Durham

[Repeal The 17th]

Just read where the crest does not reach Vicksburg until Thursday.

[Repeal The 17th]

Do you think they’re is watching it “live live”; or “video live”?

[deport]

Officials opened the Morganza spillway at 3 p.m. today

Officials opened the Morganza spillway around 3 p.m., letting 10,000 cubic feet of water per second pour through one of the structure's 125 bays.

Water from the first 24-hours of flooding because of the opening is not expected to reach any permanently inhabited communities, according to Col. Ed Fleming, commander of the New Orleans District of the Corps

Fleming said the spillway will operate at only about 25 percent of it's capacity to release 600,000 cubic feet of water per second, but only one bay -- which releases 10,000 cubic feet of water per second -- will be opened today.

end snip

[Repeal The 17th]

Here’s a youtube video:
Water Gushes From Morganza Floodway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCVjQQCswFs

[MinorityRepublican]

Okay can someone brief me on this....I know that there’s more than enough rainfall fairly recently but I’m still not understanding why the Mississippi is acting out like this. I mean it’s not even hurricane season yet!

[deport]

Video of the opening of the first gate

[ImaGraftedBranch]

Additionally, the concept of a Wall as big as Connecticut has me scratching my head
I don't know why that was so funny, but I swear to you, dry humor has wet ramifications (like the drink that just ran down my shirt.)

[Flavius]

Scuba Dave action figure ...

[OrioleFan]

Why doesn’t Obammie the Commie do something to prevent this and save Louisiana?

Because he gets his beef form overseas? Or maybe because he is a uncompassionate progressive. Or maybe because mostly "white folk" will be affected. Or maybe because he's still on his victory lap. Or maybe because he's courting the hispanics, and the Mississippi will become his moat after he hands over the Western US to Mexico. He's a busy man-child...

[bert]

The reason Louisiana exists is to absorb Mississippi floods.

The land has been misappropriated for other uses so the concept of saving is not really valid.

[Zman]

In his nomination victory speech, he said his presidency would be remembered as the time when the waters (oceans) began to recede.

What, Bambi, all outta miracles already?

[Raycpa]

Is that Obama?