{"id":420712,"date":"2011-05-10T11:52:42","date_gmt":"2011-05-10T11:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/10\/mississippi-river-peak-in-memphis\/"},"modified":"2011-05-10T11:52:42","modified_gmt":"2011-05-10T11:52:42","slug":"mississippi-river-peak-in-memphis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/10\/mississippi-river-peak-in-memphis\/","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi River peak in Memphis"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 May 2011<\/span> Last updated at<\/span> 07:52 ET<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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\"Water<\/p>\n

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Officials have diverted some of the Mississippi River’s flow as the region prepares for river levels to reach near-record levels<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Mississippi River has peaked at just under 48ft (14.6m) in the southern US city of Memphis, the US national weather service has said.<\/p>\n

The city is coping with flood levels not seen since the 1930s, which have forced people from some 1,300 homes.<\/p>\n

The authorities have evacuated low-lying areas, but officials say they are confident flood control systems will prevent further harm.<\/p>\n

The flooding has been caused by melting snow and heavy rains.<\/p>\n

Rising water levels<\/span><\/p>\n

Army engineers say it is unlikely that the levee system in Memphis will give way, but have acknowledged that the water has been rising faster than expected.<\/p>\n

The authorities have also warned residents to look out for snakes and rats which could seek shelter on higher ground.<\/p>\n

Officials downstream in Louisiana have begun evacuating prisoners from one of the state’s toughest prisons – the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola – and opened floodgates to relieve pressure on levees outside New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Police in Memphis have gone door-to-door to 1,300 homes over the past few days to warn people about the rising water levels.<\/p>\n

More than 300 people were staying in shelters on Monday, and police increased their presence in evacuated areas to prevent looting.<\/p>\n

“I imagine that my trailer, if it’s not covered, it’s close,” Aurelio Flores, an unemployed construction worker, told the Associated Press news agency.<\/p>\n

On Monday evening, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam said even though the river was approaching its crest, the water would not recede in some neighbourhoods for at least two weeks.<\/p>\n

“It’s not going to get a lot better for a while,” Mr Haslam said.<\/p>\n

‘Levees holding’<\/span><\/p>\n

The record river height of 48.7ft was set in February 1937 during one of the worst Mississippi floods in US history.<\/p>\n

Officials said they were confident levees along the river would hold back the water and that the authorities had 20,000 sand bags in reserve in case of a breach.<\/p>\n

Col Vernie Reichling Jr of the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the Mississippi River flood control system, told reporters: “There should be no concern for any levees to fail.”<\/p>\n

In central Memphis, the river had swollen to three miles (4.8km) wide from its typical width of half a mile, the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper reported.<\/p>\n

Further inland, Graceland, the famous home of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley, was out of harm’s way, as was Beale Street, a tourist attraction known for Blues music.<\/p>\n

“I want to say this: Graceland is safe. And we would charge hell with a water pistol to keep it that way and I’d be willing to lead the charge,” director of the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency Bob Nations Jr told the Associated Press.<\/p>\n

Engorged by the spring thaw, the Mississippi has caused significant flooding upstream in Illinois and Missouri.<\/p>\n

Further downstream in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, the river has already passed flood stage.<\/p>\n

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\nMississippi River peak in Memphis<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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