People and animals sought higher ground to avoid the flooding from the Mississippi River as water flowed over levees as traffic was halted by the Coast Guard on one of the world’s busiest commercial waterways.In the poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta, meanwhile, people waited uneasily to see how high the water would get.
About 600 homes in the Delta have flooded in the past several days as the water has risen toward some of the highest levels on record.
After weeks of heavy rain and snowmelt, the Mississippi River has been breaking high-water records that have stood since the 1920s and '30s. It is projected to crest at Vicksburg on May 19 and shatter the mark set there during the Great Flood of 1927.
Farmer’s crops have been heavily affected by the major floods.
Chris Bonura, a spokesman for the Port of New Orleans, said the Coast Guard plans to close a 306km stretch of river from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico when the water reaches the 5.5m level in Carrollton, which could happen by Tuesday.
With floods come alligators, large numbers of alligators and snakes live in the Mississippi. Alligators have already been spotted strolling around on levees. In Memphis a warning has been issued for snakes, including copperheads.
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