Free Republic

In a news conference in Baton Rouge Friday, Gov. Bobby Jindal said the Army Corps of Engineers has made it clear to him that it will order the Morganza Floodway to be opened on Saturday or on Sunday at the latest. “Now is the time to take action. Don’t delay, Don’t hope something will change,” Jindal said. Jindal said he has asked state officials to tell parish governments to begin notifying their residents in areas in the Atchafalaya River basin expected to be flooded to begin evacuations. Some parishes have told him that they will complete notifications of residents of...

Nearly 600 homes have been flooded and thousands evacuated in Rena Lara as waters from the Mississippi river and its tributaries rose to record levels on Tuesday. Officials have assured residents of immediate relief measures and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour puts the loss of crops from the floods at $150 million to $200 million. He said, “The state is asking local officials to get in touch with people who might have no electricity and phones and thus no way to get word of the flooding.” [Snip] The record levels of water in the Mississippi River since the 1920s and 1930s...