Floods May be Linked to Development

Mississippi residents take matters into their own hands

(NEWSER) - Some homeowners are putting up a fight against the mighty Mississippi and its tributaries, notes Popular Science . The AP and Getty have remarkable images of homes near Vicksburg shielded by makeshift levees. It's "a testament to the human instinct to protect hearth and home," notes Clay Dillow. Click to read about the first fatality linked to the Mississippi flooding . More»

Disaster areas declared as Big Muddy reaches record levels

(NEWSER) - A slow-moving disaster is making its way down the Mississippi River. Authorities fear that floodwaters will exceed records set during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, one of the greatest natural disasters in American history. Tributaries that flow into the Mississippi are already backing up, and disaster areas have been declared in parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky, AP reports. "I've never seen it this bad," said a 78-year-old resident who has lived in his Kentucky house for 77 years. Floodwaters have now turned his home into an island—dry but surrounded by water. More»

US Supreme Court rejects Missouri's request to halt operation

(NEWSER) - The Army Corps of Engineers lit up the Missouri skyline last night, blowing a two-mile gap in a levee, and activating a 1920s flood plan that has not been used since 1937. The explosions along the levee near drenched Cairo caused water to gush over prime farmland, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Severe storms won't let up in soaked Ohio, Miss. River valleys

(AP) - Thousands of southeastern Missouri residents watched helplessly today as Black River water crept toward their homes after overflowing the levee protecting their town, as officials predicted a "catastrophic failure." Several homes in and around Poplar Bluff were partially submerged, while water filled the front yards of other houses. The river topped the levee in multiple spots, raising concerns that it would give way under the weight of inch after inch of rain that has been falling since the weekend. "It was too late for sandbagging. There are too many places. All we can do is wait and see," Police Chief Danny Whiteley said. A levee break would send water flowing into the city's south side and likely displace about 7,000 people. More»

(NEWSER) - Even if the government somehow managed to re-create pre-Katrina New Orleans, it couldn't guarantee the safety of the city and its residents, according to a new report. The Army Corps of Engineers is rebuilding levees in anticipation of a “100-year storm,” but for a city of New Orleans’ size nothing is truly sufficient, the Times-Picayune reports. The report recommends relocating people living in at-risk areas. More»