Mississippi River flooding update
Posted May 14, 2011 2:12 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Federal officials opened a Mississippi River floodgate for the first time in nearly four decades Saturday afternoon.
The Army Corps of Engineers made the announcement.
Opening the Morganza spillway will ease pressure on levees downstream and help prevent flooding in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
However, unlocking the floodgate will inundate a large swath of Cajun country in Louisiana.
About 25,000 people and 11,000 structures could be in harm’s way once the Morganza spillway is opened.
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