The following satellite pictures of the Mississippi River were taken by NASA one year apart. Flooding just south of Cairo is over 40 kilometers wide. The river should crest in Memphis tonight but New Orleans and Baton Rouge are preparing for flooding that will impact two refineries and probably eliminate any corn harvests this year there.
May 5th, 2010
May 5th, 2011
Here is the latest map showing projected flooding in the south Delta of Mississippi, based on models by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Army Corps of Engineers is seeking approval to open a spillway north of Baton Rouge. If it is opened, residents can expect water 5 to 20 feet deep over parts of seven parishes. Some of Louisiana’s most valuable farmland will be flooded which will add to this year’s increasing agricultural losses.
Click here for information concerning potential Louisiana flooding of three million acres.
Mississippi Crests in Memphis as Flooding Threat Moves South to Refineries
Oil Refineries
The opening of the spillway could affect two refineries, according to Governor Bobby Jindal’s office. One of the refineries, on the Mississippi River, could have 75 percent of its capacity reduced for at least two weeks, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
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Agricultural Losses
“Tennessee hasn’t seen flooding like this in 75 years,”said Lee Maddox, a spokesman for the Tennessee Farm Bureau. The northwestern part of the state, where entire counties are largely under water, is “the breadbasket row-crop area of the state,” with concentrations of corn and soybeans, he said.
“Corn is out of the question because that window is closing this week to keep up a good yield,” Maddox said. “Now their only option is soybeans, if they can get that planted in June.”
David DeGerolamo
