Is the flooding in the mid-west heading down the Mississippi towards New Orleans?

[uppityperson]

Will it impact everywhere along the way? I mean, the water has to go somewhere, has to keep flowing downstream. Does the flooding move on down the whole way? Looking ahead here and trying to get a handle on how much further this is going to go, the massive flooding.

The more I see and hear and read and think about this flood, the worse and worse and worse it continues to get.

[Critters2]

1. I know Keokuk and St. Louis have already started taking precautions.

So, I would think everyone down river will have to, too.

[rwheeler31]

2. Take care.

[uppityperson]

3. Thanks but I'm up in the Pacific Northwet now

Went from flood/tornado country to earthquake country. Took a few trips down to the Gulf coast, REALLY wish I'd seen it before Sept '05.

[frogcycle]

4. yes it is

they have a diversionary canal north of NO, where they can dump the Mississippi into Pontchartrain instead of letting the surge all go through the city on the bizarre elevated riverbed. Presumably they'll use it, presuming it is functional.

[uppityperson]

5. Thank you. Assuming and presuming. Sigh. And all those in between

sigh again. Thank you.

[frogcycle]

6. I don't know that it will handle this surge

it did in '93 or whatever year that big flood was.

at least there will be warning

[uppityperson]

7. Argh. This is much worse than '93. At least there will be warning.

[frogcycle]

8. as long as you're worried about NO

check out this website:

http://www.dbc3.com/NOLAPlan

Look at the last pic in the left-side frame - it shows where the river passes close to the lake before reaching the city - that's where they can pull the plug.

What they SHOULD do, IMO, is blow a hole in the levee on the south side of the river and let it just redirect into the bay to the south. That is what mother nature would have done decades ago, if allowed to.

Of course that would really mess with all the port facilities that rely on the river sticking out into the gulf on that freaky platform, and that would be a short-term economic problem, but a long-term solution.

All the silt from this flood will further raise the riverbed, making it even worse, instead of getting deposited in the lowlands, as it should

[madrchsod]

9. depends on the diverson dam upstream from new orleans

if that dam can handle the flow then new orleans will not be in a lot of danger...if the diversion dam fails then new orleans will well be high and dry.

[On the Road]

10. It WIll Certainly Impact Areas Downriver

but keep in mind that there are other large tributaries that join the Mississippi, such as the Ohio and Missouri. As you go further South, the proportion of water contributed by the flooded area becomes lower and lower, so the effect should be mitigated.

[SoCalDem]

14. and wealthier towns with sophisticated levee systems will force the water

downstream to flood poorer towns:(..just like in 93..only worse..

[man4allcats]

11. Yes it is,

and it's takin' a little bacon and takin' a little beans with it, and if there's any British there they better watch out. Sorry. I couldn't resist. }(

[countryjake]

12. Earlier today, the prediction was that major flooding would reach St. Louis...

now they've gone beyond that down to Cairo, Illinois. It sounds as tho much of the backwater areas of Missouri and Illinois will be hit, but will also disperse the floodwaters. It's hard to tell how far down this will go...they changed their prediction twice already today.

Here's a link to check:

http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/nationalfloodoutlook/

[uppityperson]

13. Thank you. This is along what I was wondering.

I've found various pages on noaa but not the flood pages so thank you.

[countryjake]

16. Look under "Water"

http://www.weather.gov/ahps/

[lonestarnot]

15. Southern Illinois.