Perilous
Times and Climate Change
Millions of acres of US farmland flooded; Louisiana braces
for onslaught
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 12, 2011 9:57 p.m. EDT
'It's the pungent smell of human waste'
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Rain is moving into flood-ravaged Memphis
Nuclear plant in Louisiana could be affected by flooding
About 3 million acres of farmland are flooded in four states
The river is at flood stage at New Orleans
(CNN) -- Across the South and lower Midwest, floodwaters have
covered about 3 million acres of farmland, eroding for many
farmers what could have been a profitable year for corn, wheat,
rice and cotton, officials said Thursday.
In Arkansas, the Farm Bureau estimated that damage to the state's
agriculture could top more than $500 million as more than 1
million acres of cropland are under water.
"It's in about 10 feet of water," Dyersburg, Tennessee, farmer
Jimmy Moody said of his 440 acres of winter wheat, which was to be
harvested in the coming month.
Open Story: Your reports of flooding
Other farmers in Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas
rushed to salvage what wheat they could ahead of the rising water.
As for corn, farmers who were able to get into the fields during a
soggy planting season in late March and April are seeing their
crops in some cases under several feet of water.
Farms near and on the Mississippi River are no strangers to
flooding, but the 2011 flood is definitely one for the record
books.
"This is new water that has reached areas for the first time in 75
years," said Lee Maddox of the Tennessee Farm Bureau.
Of course, the flooding is covering more than farmland. In
Louisiana alone, Gov. Bobby Jindal said, as many as 3 million
acres -- of farms, forests and towns -- could be affected. In
Mississippi, 600,000 acres of farmland are only part of 1.4
million acres likely to be flooded, said Andy Prosser of the
state's Department of Agriculture and Commerce.
Landmark Mississippi restaurant in danger of flooding
With the overflowing Mississippi River bearing down on New
Orleans, where the water level was already at flood stage, the
Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that it was opening more
bays at the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
Another 113 bays were being opened, bringing the total to 223 open
bays, authorities said. The 350-bay spillway, just north of New
Orleans, diverts water into Lake Pontchartrain.
Resilience, memories run strong in Louisiana flood zone
The National Weather Service said that as of Thursday afternoon,
the river was at 17.13 feet in New Orleans, about an inch and a
half above flood stage. It is expected to crest on May 23 at more
than 19 feet.
"Nobody can wrap their heads around what's going to happen," said
Caroline George of Baton Rouge. In a CNN iReport from her
hometown, where the 19-year-old is on summer break from college,
she said, "I've never seen the river anywhere near where it is
now."
The floodwaters that have inundated tens of thousands of acres of
Missouri farmland and lapped at downtown Memphis, Tennessee, are
on a steady, soggy march through Arkansas, Mississippi and
Louisiana, bringing damage and devastation to some areas.
In Memphis, which endured a record river crest this week, flooding
affected between 800 and 1,000 properties, said Steve Schuler of
the local emergency management agency. Many small businesses and
farms were affected in Shelby County, and the river level was
still high Thursday, he said.
New rules to live by in Memphis' Northaven community
Rain moved into the area Thursday night, according to county
officials, and Shelby residents were being reminded about five
shelters.
"Many people who chose to stay in their homes during the flood are
now surrounded by floodwater and are in need of food and other
supplies," the Shelby County Emergency Operations Center said.
Some Memphis roads remained closed, and an unspecified number of
customers won't see power restoration for several days.
Flooding also continues to be a problem in southeastern Missouri
and southern Illinois, though the Mississippi and Ohio rivers have
crested in those states.
Back in Louisiana, "the Bonnet Carre Spillway was partially opened
on Monday ... in order to keep the volume of the Mississippi River
flows at New Orleans from exceeding 1.25 million cubic feet per
second," the Corps said.
But the muddy water exceeded that level, with a flow of 1.36
million cubic feet per second by Wednesday night, authorities
said. They warned that the Morganza Spillway, farther upstream,
could be opened between Saturday and Tuesday.
The move would help divert water from New Orleans, but it would
send a torrent down the Atchafalaya River, Jindal said. He has
advised residents in southeastern Louisiana to evacuate their
homes. "Don't wait for the official notification."
Jindal said Thursday that state officials need several days after
a Morganza decision to notify residents. He said that a decision
on the spillway's opening could come Saturday or Sunday.
Twenty-six parishes in the state have declared states of emergency
ahead of the surging waters.
A nuclear unit in Louisiana may have to shut down if Mississippi
River levels are too high, according to the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
The Waterford Steam Electric Station Unit 3, about 25 miles west
of New Orleans, was back online Thursday after being shut April 6
to refuel and replace the main generator.
Entergy Louisiana, which owns the plant, said flooding is not
expected with the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway. But if the
river exceeds 27 feet, the plant would be forced to shut down
because a circulating water system that drives the turbine would
not be able to operate.
Throughout the region, the economic toll has yet to be calculated.
Floods punish South, but locals say region shall rise again
In Mississippi's Tunica County, rising water shut down lucrative
casinos that generate $85 million a month in taxes.
"We've created a barrier around the perimeter of the casino and
hotel," said George Goldhoff, general manager of the Gold Strike
Casino. "As of now, we remain dry inside that perimeter."
Thirteen of the state's casinos -- major economic drivers -- were
closed Wednesday, with a 14th to close Thursday, said Eddie
Williams with the Mississippi Gaming Commission. The Ameristar and
Riverwalk casinos in Vicksburg remain open but are being monitored
for possible closure.
"The Gaming Commission is conducting daily assessments at the
casinos to determine their status," said Allen Godfrey, deputy
director of the commission.
About 600 residents of the nearby community of Tunica Cutoff
aren't able to return home.
"Some of the houses are completely submerged," according to
evacuee Michael Dews, who added that "Ninety-eight percent of the
houses down there have anywhere from 4 to 6 feet of water."
The emotional toll of a long-running natural disaster can be hard
to gauge, said Paige Roberts with the American Red Cross in
Mississippi.
"Emotional care is going to be just as much of a need as someplace
to sleep and a warm meal to eat," she said. "We're still at a
point where it's not time to panic, but it is time to prepare, and
that's how we're going to get to the finish line of this arduous
marathon."
Opinion: The river, "strong, brown god," always wins
Fourteen Mississippi counties affected by flooding have been
declared major disaster areas eligible for federal assistance,
Gov. Haley Barbour announced Wednesday in a statement released by
his office.
"We are grateful to President (Barack) Obama and FEMA for quickly
fulfilling our request for assistance," Barbour said. "The
flooding situation will last for several weeks, and this
declaration gives Mississippians in flooded areas access to
federal assistance that can help families through this difficult
time."
CNN's Thomas Andres, Jason Morris, Mia Aquino, Phil Gast and
Marlena Baldacci contributed to this report.