46 Feet and Risin' !

The Great Flood of 1927 = 56.2 feet
Forecast for Flood of 2011 = 57.5 feet

This is a follow up to my post last week about the flood levels predicted for the Mississippi River here in Vicksburg. At that time, the river was around the 40-foot mark on the gauge at the water front ...

This past Sunday it was hovering at the 45-foot mark.

At the time I wrote my post last week, the river was expected to crest at 53.2 feet, the highest since 1937. However, thanks to torrential rains and storms over the weekend in the Ohio Valley and upper Mississippi River, the forecast has been changed. It is expected to crest at 57.5 feet on May 18th, surpassing the 1927 flood in Vicksburg, which was recorded at 56.2 feet. If the levees had held, engineers say the number in 1927, would have been 62 feet!

That's the top number on the gauge shown in this picture, so you can see how much higher it's going to go ... pretty scary, isn't it!

In light of the dire forecast, small levees are being built in low-lying areas, and residents are trying to hold back the flood waters already creeping up on their property by laying sandbags. City workers are also boarding up the openings at the water front.

This sign is painted on the back of the seawall at the water front, and I wonder how high the water will be on the sign when the river crests on the 18th.

The following picture shows the water front as it looked Sunday ...

On a personal note, my husband is having his second hip replacement surgery today, so I will be away for a few days. I just hope and pray that this one goes as well as his first surgery did — a lot of prayers were answered. He is looking forward to being totally "bionic" after this one. I'll be in touch soon.