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Louisiana Prepares to Flood Farmland

25K people urged to evacuate ahead of spillway opening

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted May 14, 2011 7:00 AM CDT

(Newser) – Louisiana—faced with the choice of flooding farmland or risking major floods in New Orleans and Baton Rouge—is preparing to open a relief valve and swamp large areas of farmland in Cajun country. The Morganza spillway is about to be opened for the first time in 38 years and just the second time in its history, releasing a torrent of water expected to gradually submerge an area the size of Connecticut under up to 25 feet of water, the AP reports.

Army engineers plan to conduct a slow opening of the spillway to take the pressure off levees protecting cities and industrial areas downstream. Some 2,500 people are in the direct path of the spillway and around 22,500 others will be threatened by the rising water, reports the New York Times. Gov. Bobby Jindal has urged people remaining in these areas to evacuate. "Now's the time for our people to execute their plans," he said. "That water's coming."

Buildings outside of levee protection, left, take on floodwater in Morgan City, La.
Buildings outside of levee protection, left, take on floodwater in Morgan City, La.   (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The Morganza Spillway, which allows water from the Mississippi River to divert into the Atchafalaya Basin, is seen from the air in Morganza, La
The Morganza Spillway, which allows water from the Mississippi River to divert into the Atchafalaya Basin, is seen from the air in Morganza, La   (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 31 comments
KatyAtl90
May 14, 2011 11:55 AM CDT
 Can you blame them from trying to prevent another major flood in New Orleans?  It's a bad decision to have to make though :(
scraw
May 14, 2011 11:01 AM CDT
 The people in the ghettos have more political power than the Cajuns who live out in the sticks and mind their own business.
Fascist_Jack
May 14, 2011 9:25 AM CDT
Because people in the ghettos are more important than food production.

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