Flood

[lynyrdsky1]

Since the Mississippi River is about to crest at 45, every other river is backed up. It's rising quick too. Left for school this morning and the street I take was fine, came home and theres water going across it. I'm confused how I'm getting to school tomorrow if all the roads are flooded. But the real matter is, what about the people whose houses are under water now?

[OHIO]

You can fish in your front yard. There is always a bright side to things.

[.dsaavedra.]

how high's the water mama? i said its four feet high and risin'.

[Jigfishn10]

We had the flooding problem last year up here with RI getting clobbered the worst.. It wasn't pretty that's for sure, I wouldn't wish that on anybody. The only one's who smiled were the insurance companies, they got a lot of new premium applications to cover flood insurance.

[roadwarrior]

This flood may surpass the Flood of 1927:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mississippi_Flood_of_1927

Locally, 3"-5" expected over the next few days. Regionally, heavy

rain is in the forecast:

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Memphis&state=TN&site=MEG&textField1=35.1056&textField2=-90.007&e=0

[jdw174]

At current projections, Kentucky Lake will be at the top of the flood gates in the next several days, and we have more t-storms in the forecast for the next 3 days

[Fishing Rhino]

This is impossible. It cannot happen. The entire TVA was built for flood control. Well, that wasn't the only reason, but it was one of the primary purposes.

Let's understand this, or try to. Could be one of Bassclary's philosophies.

We control floods, by flooding low lying towns and communities. The inhabitants then move to higher grounds, some of which are now being, or about to be flooded. Makes sense to me.

Communities which never would have been flooded under anything less than forty days and forty nights of torrential rain pouring down and fountains of the deep opening will now be flooded, thanks to the TVA.

It's a futile effort for man to attempt to control nature. Already, the ocean is reclaiming that marvel of modern engineering, The man made Palm Islands off the coast of Dubai.

The TVA project may be worth it for making navigation possible, and creating millions of acres of fish habitat, but flood control? Not! At least not under the current weather conditions.

[Lund Explorer]

I sure hope all the folks down there are safe and that property losses will be kept as low as possible.

For those road-trip folks and others who have had the chance to visit Moor's Resort, the following link shows some of the current flooding on their property. And they seem upbeat and say the fish are biting!

http://www.facebook.com/Moors.Resort#!/photo.php?fbid=10150170755362038&set=pu.167230412037&type=1&theater

[BassThumb]

WOW, that's nasty. Gotta be about 6'. Did that area flood like this last year?

How's the Bass Pro in Nashville doing? That's the one that flooded last year, right?

[mr.mallard]

This flood may surpass the Flood of 1927:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mississippi_Flood_of_1927

Locally, 3"-5" expected over the next few days. Regionally, heavy

rain is in the forecast:

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Memphis&state=TN&site=MEG&textField1=35.1056&textField2=-90.007&e=0

you think the flood of 27 was the biggest one but you only hear about it because it broke the most levees. the flood of 1937 was higher and bigger. and do you think in the long run this will help or hurt the germantown ponds that the wolf river got into? i tend to believe it will help them. like oxbows getting restocked by the ms river

[bowfish12]

WOW, that's nasty. Gotta be about 6'. Did that area flood like this last year?

How's the Bass Pro in Nashville doing? That's the one that flooded last year, right?

Kentucky Lake is at ~ 371 ft. right now, which is two feet higher than last year.

Everything on the Cumberland for the most part is fine. Dover, TN is not in good shape. They are predicting it be be at least two feet higher than last year.

As of right now, where I live (Clarksville) and Nashville are alright. The river did get out last week and it made for some decent bowfishing for a day or so. We are expected to get at least two more inches of rain today and tomorrow, on top of the 2.5 inches yesterday. The Cumberland will get out of its banks here again in the next few days.

[GrundleLove]

Global Warming.

[senile1]

I grew up in Mississippi County, Missouri just a few miles West of the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois. The plan is to blow up the first levee on the Missouri side of the river to save the town of Cairo. If they don't do this and the levee breaks at Cairo it is predicted that in some areas the water will cover two story buildings. Cairo is at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and the crest there is currently higher than it has ever been at 60.6 feet which is 20.6 feet over flood stage. It is expected to crest at 61.5 feet. This was done once before back in 1937 I believe. At that time there was plenty of forest to slow the deluge down and the secondary levee held on the Missouri side. This time the forests are gone and some people are worried that the deluge of water released from blowing the first levee will break the second levee and flood every town in Mississippi County. It could be a no win situation. The farmland in Mississippi County is some of the most fertile anywhere in the United States. Many believe this ground will be buried in a few feet of silt and will be ruined for a generation. I just hope the water doesn't reach my parents who live in Scott County, now, just a couple of miles from the Mississippi County line.

[roadwarrior]

Ruined for a generation?

The reason the region is so fertile is because of THOUSANDS of years of

periodic flooding. I think the silt will revitalize the land, not harm

it over the long run. 2011 planting may be lost, but next year, crop

harvests will be fantastic!

[Lund Explorer]

News this morning said the Corps blew up the levee late last night. One local farmer said that they are predicting the water will be pumped out sometime in late July or August.

I would hope that these people are compensated somehow for a lost year.

[senile1]

Ruined for a generation?

The reason the region is so fertile is because of THOUSANDS of years of

periodic flooding. I think the silt will revitalize the land, not harm

it over the long run. 2011 planting may be lost, but next year, crop

harvests will be fantastic!

There is obviously disagreement about the possible results of this, but the facts from the previous blowing of the levee in 1937 would seem to support those who believe much of the land will be negatively affected for a period of years. There are sections of land that were flooded in the 1937 flood and some of these are still unsuitable for growing the main row crops in that area: corn, soybeans, and wheat. I grew up there and farmed this land with my Dad. I have seen these areas. A particular type of silt is needed to make a land fertile. Washing away fertile loamy soil and replacing it with four to six feet of today's Mississippi silt creates a soil that has all of the wrong components needed for the row crops mentioned above. During those previous thousands of years of flooding that you mention, the pollutants found in the Mississippi, today, did not exist.

I know that all of our history books tell us river valleys are fertile due to the silt from flooding and this is true in many instances. The devil is in the details. All flooding does not produce fertile soil. This type of flooding is like a mini-tsunami. Two miles of the levee are removed and a torrent of water rushes through carrying a tremendous amount of polluted silt. Some estimates of the silt level are as high as six feet. That's not standard flooding that was experienced on the Euphrates, Tigris, or Nile rivers that we read about in our history books. This is why Missouri's attorney general tried to take this to the U.S. Supreme Court. The economic impact to Mississippi County could be devastating and the poverty level in that County is already 26 percent (2008 Census data).

[roadwarrior]

I guess we'll see what the composition of the sediment will be and the effect

on the land. Economically, with all the political attention to this event, I

suspect the farmers/ landowners will make out like bandits. This year's "crop"

will be gold nuggets!

p.s. We had over 4" of rain here in the Memphis area today. The Mississippi

River is expected to crest on May 12, lasting 10 days. It remains to be seen

how the 2011 Flood will compare historically, but it's BIG!

[00 mod]

Im sandbagging the back of my house tomorrow if anyone wants to volunteer to help......

IT SUCKS!!!! Not only for fishing but for my life right now! But at least I will be prepared!

Jeff

[roadwarrior]

The current projection is a 48' crest lasting ten days without any additional

rain. The Great Flood of 1937 crested at 48.7' in Memphis. The World Championship

BBQ Contest has been moved to the Liberty Bowl. Reinforced flood gates are in

place to protect downtown and low lying areas are being evacuated. I-40 West

closed yesterday between here and Little Rock. The East lanes will be closed

soon.

[Glenn]

I'm hearing alot about flooding around the Memphis area. Give us an update RW. How's things in your neighborhood?

[00 mod]

RW's neighborhood is gonna be fine He is high and dry. Thankfully so am I. I do have this picture of downtown at riverside dr and beale street to share though

This image was taken yesterday morning and the river is still expected to rise 2+ more feet.

Jeff

[lynyrdsky1]

Where musicfest was is underwater. You can see Tom Lee Park right from my friends house up on the bluff. Pretty much all of Riverside Dr. is blocked off.

[tyrius.]

This image was taken yesterday morning and the river is still expected to rise 2+ more feet.

I was just there a couple of weeks ago. Drove down to see how high the river was. It was big then and now it's out of control! The sheer amount of water that's in the Mississippi now is amazing.

[key chain bass guy]

RW's neighborhood is gonna be fine He is high and dry. Thankfully so am I. I do have this picture of downtown at riverside dr and beale street to share though

This image was taken yesterday morning and the river is still expected to rise 2+ more feet.

Jeff

Obviously the water is not where it is supposed to be, but just for some perspective, how close is the river, under normal circumstances, to that rail on the side of the road?

[jeremyt]

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the flooded areas. It seems that this is an all too ofter occurance and that it will continue to happen until some further measures are taken. Sad indeed that some people have been back in there houses for less than a year from the previous flood only to have this happen again.