Mississippi Delta braces for historic flood [View All]

Source: AP

By HOLBROOK MOHR and SHELIA BYRD

TUNICA, Miss. (AP) - The bulging Mississippi River rolled into the fertile Mississippi Delta on Tuesday, threatening to swamp antebellum mansions, wash away shotgun shacks, and destroy fields of cotton, rice and corn in a flood of historic proportions.

The river took aim at one of the most poverty-stricken parts of the country after cresting before daybreak at Memphis, Tenn., just inches short of the record set in 1937. Some low-lying neighborhoods were inundated, but the city's high levees protected much of the rest of Memphis.

Over the past week or so in the Delta, floodwaters along the rain-swollen river and its backed-up tributaries have already washed away crops, forced many people to flee to higher ground and closed some of the dockside casinos that are vital to the state's economy.

But the worst is yet to come, with the crest expected to roll through the Delta over the next few days.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110510/D9N4QSD00.html

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Homes on Mud Island sit in floodwater Tuesday, May 10, 2011, in Memphis, Tenn. The Mississippi River crested in Memphis at nearly 48 feet on Tuesday, falling short of its all-time record but still soaking low-lying areas with enough water to require a massive cleanup. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)