by Roman Lewis
NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the first of what could be several bays of the Morganza spillway at 3 p.m. CST today.
The move is intended to spare southern Louisiana's major cities by redirecting floodwaters from the Mississippi river into the Atchafalaya Basin.
For streaming video of the opening of the first bay, check out this page offered by the USACE.
"Protecting lives is the No. 1 thing we are looking for," Gen. Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission, told reporters less than an hour before opening the first bay.
The spillway winds through Morganza, La., about 115 miles northwest of New Orleans. The slow opening of several bays over the next several days is expected to temper the potential for severe flooding along the rising Mississippi River and divert water from Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
But at a cost. The flooding is expected to destroy some 2,500 homes and businesses in low-lying south-central Louisiana, such as Henderson and Butte la Rose.
One or two additional bays of the Morganza are expected to be opened Sunday, with more gates potentially opening over the next several weeks, according to Col. Ed Fleming, of the Corps of Engineers.
This afternoon, according to the Associated Press, the Mississippi was cresting near Helena, Arkansas, at 56.4 feet — about 12.4 feet above the flood stage.
On Friday, Gov. Bobby Jindal warned that some 2,600 structures and 4,000 people would be affected within the first 24 hours.
For more on this story, check out this Times-Picayune report.
The move is intended to spare southern Louisiana's major cities by redirecting floodwaters from the Mississippi river into the Atchafalaya Basin.
For streaming video of the opening of the first bay, check out this page offered by the USACE.
"Protecting lives is the No. 1 thing we are looking for," Gen. Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission, told reporters less than an hour before opening the first bay.The spillway winds through Morganza, La., about 115 miles northwest of New Orleans. The slow opening of several bays over the next several days is expected to temper the potential for severe flooding along the rising Mississippi River and divert water from Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
But at a cost. The flooding is expected to destroy some 2,500 homes and businesses in low-lying south-central Louisiana, such as Henderson and Butte la Rose.
One or two additional bays of the Morganza are expected to be opened Sunday, with more gates potentially opening over the next several weeks, according to Col. Ed Fleming, of the Corps of Engineers.
This afternoon, according to the Associated Press, the Mississippi was cresting near Helena, Arkansas, at 56.4 feet — about 12.4 feet above the flood stage.
On Friday, Gov. Bobby Jindal warned that some 2,600 structures and 4,000 people would be affected within the first 24 hours.
For more on this story, check out this Times-Picayune report.
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