The Mighty Mississippi

Downtown Greenville 1927

I'm sure most of you've already heard about the ever increasing size of the mighty Mississippi. People from states this river courses through have and will continue to suffer for the next several days, if not weeks.

Greenville, my hometown, the Queen city of the Delta is outlined on it's western side by the Mississippi River along with its companion, a man-made levee, or earthen dam, that protects valuable farmland from river overflow.

The highest point of the levee is 75ft. The lowest points (67ft) are located at Central Street and Main Street.

The Mississippi should crest some time around the 17th and top out at 64.5!

The above photo drives home for me just how newsworthy this situation is. Heading up this incline (one of the lowest points on the levee) the casino would not be visible normally. On car or foot, you would have had to top the levee LOOK DOWN and descend the downward sloping concrete parking lot.

The barge the casino calls home has been raised and/or moved up due to the rising water.

Deer have been spotted running down Main Street and darting out in front of cars. But Bambi is the least of my worries.

Snakes love water. Believe me when I tell you just because they spend a bit of their time in water that certainly doesn't mean that's where they plan to stay.

Coworkers and friends are reporting an increased number of incidents involving snakes being found in an assortment of areas on their property - the lawn, the attic, driveways.... OMG!

So if you exclude the new wildlife citizens in town and the mayhem they have the potential to create, and concentrate solely on the constantly rising water we should be okay.

River to crest @ 64.5ft
Levees lowest point 67ft
Levees highest point 75ft

BUT those numbers could change with any significant rainfall... which is predicted for strong thunder storms Thursday and scattered thunderstorms on Friday.

Refugee camps! Many blacks were forbidden to leave and made to continue to work as free labor

 Back in 1980 my great grandmother sat me down and shared her memories with me of the 1927 flood. She was 27 years old, married and the mother of two small children the year of the great flood.

Hopefully, I'll be able to do the same with my grandchildren one day.