Morganza spillway opens to save cities

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U.S. army engineers have opened floodgates in Louisiana that will inundate up to 3,000 square miles of land in an attempt to protect large cities along the Mississippi River.

The big hope is it will ease pressure on Baton Rouge and New Orleans. This is the first time in four decades the level of the Mississippi has forced the floodgates to be opened. About 25,000 people and 11,000 buildings could be adversely affected.

The Morganza Spillway, 45 miles north-west of Baton Rouge, was last opened in 1973. It stands above the Mississippi’s normal water level, and comes into play only when the Mississippi is already swollen and endangering the surrounding areas.

By opening its floodgates engineers are able to control the flow of the floodwaters, diverting them around Baton Rouge into the Atchafalaya river basin, a low-lying area of central Louisiana.

Opening all 125 gates on the spillway would release 600,000 cubic feet of water every second. Just one bay was opened on Saturday, allowing 10,000 cubic feet of water per second to pass. Within 30 minutes, 100 acres of land were under a foot of water.

The American Red Cross has prepared shelters for thousands of people who are fleeing the region.

And while some are angry that their region has been effectively sacrificed to secure Baton Rouge and New Orleans, other residents say they have lived for years with the knowledge that if and when the next flood came, it would come their way.

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Holte Ender

Holte Ender will always try to see your point of view, but sometimes it is hard to stick his head that far up his @$$.
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12 years ago

Not good if you live in the 100 acres but what can you do eh?…..buy water wings for a start…

Peter Lake
12 years ago

I have friends who live in that region and they tell me that the local authorities are not optimistic about this procedure but understand it is their only recourse. I personally don’t hold out much hope for the residents of the area.

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