Rising Mississippi River threatening towns

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mississippi River communities scrambling Tuesday to fend off the rain-engorged waterway got discouraging news: More rains looming across much of the nation's midsection threatened to slow the potential retreat of the renegade river.

Such an outlook may not be welcomed in the northeast Missouri town of West Alton, where a makeshift levee's breach Monday fanned worries that the 570-resident town — which was mostly swept away by a flood in 1993 — would be inundated again. A voluntary evacuation advisory before the breach was fixed was heeded by just 15 percent of the town's residents, but "everyone else is ready to go at a moment's notice" if the hastily shored-up barrier shows signs of giving way, Fire Chief Rick Pender said Tuesday.

For now, he said, "everything is stable," with much of the flooding corralled in a railroad bed acting as a town-protecting channel.

"There are some spots not looking pretty (as defenses), but they're still holding the water back," Pender told The Associated Press by telephone. "Everyone is just monitoring the sandbags and barriers, waiting for this water to come down."

The latest National Weather Service forecasts suggest that was to happen later Tuesday. But more rains expected in coming days, from St. Louis north to Minnesota and westward across some of the Great Plains, stood to drop another inch of precipitation here and there, adding more water to the Missouri River and the Mississippi River into which it feeds, National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Fuchs said.

"We're not talking about huge amounts, but any amount when the soil already is wet is going to slow the rivers' retreat," Fuchs said from his St. Louis-area office. "If you take that into account, there's not going to be a big drop in the river levels any time soon."

Across the river in Illinois, in the 28,000-resident city of Alton north of St. Louis, floodwaters already forced the closure of the local casino and the scenic "Great River Road" leading out of it to the north. By late Monday, floodwaters had swamped some of the Clark Bridge linking the city to West Alton, halting traffic from making it into Missouri.

Yet there was reason for optimism: The National Weather Service as of Tuesday afternoon said the river at Alton was expected to crest that evening, some 13 feet above flood stage.

The worst was yet to come south of St. Louis near Cape Girardeau, Mo., where the river was continued to swell higher until reaching a peak Thursday night, again some 13 feet above flood stage.

That rapid rise has produced a feverish sandbagging effort in nearby Dutchtown, where the river threatened to send water into about a third of the homes in the tiny town of about 100 people. It also was threatening to make another nearby community — Allenville, population 117 — an island. In Dutchtown, dozens of prison inmates bussed in were working shoulder to shoulder with other volunteers Tuesday, working to bolster the makeshift barrier.

"So far, the levees are doing fine," Dutchtown Alderwoman Shirley Moss said. "We still have a lot of water coming this way, and we're still all out here working. It's very treacherous, and you just don't know how much you need to do to prevent this water from coming into town.

"We're doing all we can, with all the help we can get."

Via Yahoo News!

Lightning strike at Mississippi military base sends 77 to hospital

NEW: The 77 were college students enrolled in Air Force ROTCThe military sends the 77 cadets to hospitals for evaluation after lightning strikeAll of them were responsive and in stable condition, the military says

(CNN) -- A lightning strike Wednesday afternoon sent 77 Air Force ROTC cadets to hospitals in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, area, where they were all responsive and in stable condition, according to spokeswoman Maj. Deidre Musgrave of Camp Shelby.

Two of the 77 were sent by ambulance, and the remaining 75 were sent to the hospital by Camp Shelby buses, Musgrave told CNN.

All 77 were college students enrolled in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, which uses Camp Shelby as its summer training site, Musgrave said.

The personnel were sent for medical evaluation because they were in the area of the lightning strike at a training site on Camp Shelby around 2 p.m., Musgrave said in a news release.

"We always want to be safe," she told CNN.

The remaining personnel at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center quickly responded to the situation to ensure that anyone injured received medical attention, Musgrave said.

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Swollen river crests in Mississippi

NEW: "We're in need of, first off, a place to live," an evacuee tells CNN affiliate WAPTNEW: Crews work to shore up the the mainline Mississippi levee at Lake AlbemarleSevere storms are forecast this weekend along parts of the MississippiExperts: It will take until mid-June for floodwaters to recede in VicksburgCheck out CNN affiliates WJTV and WLBT for the latest reports on flooding.

Vicksburg, Mississippi (CNN) -- Storms were forecast Saturday for areas already suffering from the swollen Mississippi River, as Mississippi's governor urged caution.

The rain comes as the Mississippi River was cresting in Natchez, Mississippi. The water was cresting at 61.8 feet, or 13.8 feet above flood stage there, according to the National Weather Service.

There were some early signs of recovery farther north in Vicksburg, where the river had already crested, though the floodwaters are expected to remain for weeks. The Yazoo backwater levee near Vicksburg had hit its peak, CNN affiliate WLBT reported.

"These levees are going to be more and more saturated every day. There will be continuing wave action up against them and so people shouldn't drop their guard," Gov. Haley Barbour told reporters in Yazoo City Friday.

Although many displaced residents in Vicksburg are eager to return to their homes, until the water level recedes, only emergency officials will be allowed, WLBT reported.

"It is illegal to drive a boat in flooded areas and it will remain so until that executive order is lifted, which won't be soon," Barbour said.

The governor also warned of health risks to both the emergency responders and residents.

"We've had reports of water samples where the E. coli level was 200 times normal. This stuff is nasty," Barbour said. The governor himself owns a lake home that has been flooded.

The Mississippi River is not expected to return to its 43-foot flood stage in Vicksburg until after June 14, which is 46 days after it climbed out of its banks, said Amanda Roberts, a National Weather Service hydrologist. It crested at 57.1 feet Thursday. The river is more than a foot over the record set in the city in 1927.

"We're in need of, first off, a place to live. And then second off, pretty much everything you would need in a home," evacuee Pat Wilsoe told CNN affiliate WAPT.

Vicksburg resident Hoover Youenger told the station his home had several feet of water in it.

"In a way, it feels like a big loss, but with Mother Nature you can't do anything about it," he said, WAPT reported.

Severe storms are likely Saturday and Sunday in the Mississippi River, Ohio River and Tennessee River valleys.

Up to 3 inches of rain per hour are possible, with heavier storms on Sunday. The rain could lead to secondary crests and higher crests along the Mississippi from Memphis, Tennessee, southward, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said.

Some greeted the cresting floodwaters -- which have damaged hundreds of homes and displaced 2,000 Vicksburg residents -- with relief. Others just went to work.

Rusty Larsen, owner of Rusty's River Front Grill in Vicksburg, told CNN affiliate WJTV that his business has picked up some with the floods.

"We stay busy most days anyway, but there's been a lot of people downtown," he said. "I see a lot of local people. Some of them are tourists. Everybody wants to come see the water."

Local officials caution that some area residents may have to wait to return to their homes.

Flooded houses pose a variety of dangers, they said. Rising floodwaters bring debris, hazardous waste and gas leaks, and force snakes or other potentially dangerous animals from their habitats and into residential areas.

"Right now we're moving to the recovery stage," Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield told CNN.

"Our first priority, I believe, should be public safety, to continue to encourage our residents and onlookers to stay free of the water."

Law enforcement officials are patrolling evacuated areas to help ensure that abandoned homes and businesses aren't burglarized, Winfield said. And each flooded property must be assessed before an owner can return to it, he said.

Warren County, which includes Vicksburg, has "several hundred homes that have water" and about 2,000 residents have been displaced, Sheriff Martin Pace said.

County residents are accustomed to flooding and know what to do, but none have experienced it at this magnitude, according to Pace.

A slide was detected on the mainline Mississippi levee at Lake Albemarle, the Corps of Engineers said Thursday. That occurs when the integrity of a levee is undermined because dirt and sand are being eroded, spokeswoman Eileen Williamson said.

Crews are working around the clock to help fill the gaps.

If the levee fails, thousands of homes and more than one million acres would be flooded, according to Peter Nimrod, the Mississippi Levee Board's chief engineer.

"So it's very important we hold this levee together," he said.

Farther south, where the Mississippi River has not yet crested, residents were working to clear out their homes and find ways to get by.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has asked for federal assistance in grappling with flooding stemming from the Morganza Spillway, where 17 bays have been opened in hopes of sparing New Orleans farther downstream.

So far, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has delivered nearly 150,000 sandbags, 30,000 cubic yards of sand and 33,000 linear feet of fabric-lined baskets, the governor's office said. Approximately 1,150 Louisiana National Guard members have been mobilized.

Mandatory evacuations were in effect Saturday in Happy Town and the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office said. Officials will decide whether evacuations are needed in Butte La Rose on Monday.

Spillway gates are likely to be open for weeks, meaning it will be some time before the river falls below flood stage, allowing evacuees to return.

The flood is the most significant to hit the lower Mississippi River valley since at least 1937. It has affected nine states so far: Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

CNN's Brian Todd contributed to this report.

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Record flooding lingers in Mississippi

Vicksburg, Mississippi (CNN) -- The overflowing Mississippi River dealt anguish to its namesake state Thursday, reaching a historic height at Vicksburg, sending backwater up the Yazoo River, which has swallowed a home owned by the governor, and claiming the life of a 69-year-old man.

As the flood's trail of destruction worked its way south, Vicksburg saw the river crest at the expected peak of 57.1 feet early Thursday, hours ahead of the original forecast.

The National Weather Service predicts the crest will hold through at least Saturday morning. "Residents who live along the river need to keep an eye out and be vigilant," said Marty Pope, a senior hydrologist with the weather service's Jackson, Mississippi, office. "We're not going to fall to the kind of levels we got to during the large 2008 flood until early June, and won't fall below flood stage until mid-to-late June."

The river began cresting ahead of schedule Wednesday night, probably because an old levee system in Greenville, Mississippi, was breached last Friday and spread the flood's flow, Pope said.

The Mississippi is more than 14 feet above flood stage at Vicksburg and more than a foot over the record set in the city in 1927.

A Vicksburg resident, Walter Cook, died after being pulled from floodwater in Warren County, Mississippi, the county coroner said Thursday. It is the first reported death linked to the flooding in the state.

Emergency workers with the fire department pulled him from the water at 9:35 a.m. Tuesday and took him to River Regional Medical Center, where Cook was put on life support, Coroner Doug Huskey said. He died early Thursday.

Officials do not know how Cook ended up in the floodwater, the coroner said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was keeping a watchful eye on the Yazoo Backwater Levee, which residents near Vicksburg were counting on for protection. It is designed to keep water from backing into parts of the Yazoo River delta.

The backwater levee was being "armored" by a heavy plastic coating to prevent it from washing out, said Charlie Tindall, attorney for the Board of Mississippi Levee Commissioners.

But the Yazoo River backwaters were already claiming territory and property. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour was among residents who watched rising waters swallow their houses and lands Wednesday.

Barbour's spokeswoman confirmed that a house owned by the governor in his native Yazoo County was flooded. The house is on a lake in central Mississippi near the backwater-flooded Yazoo River.

A slide was detected on the mainline Mississippi levee at Albemarle Lake, the Corps of Engineers said Thursday. A slide occurs when the integrity of a levee is undermined because dirt and sand are being eroded, said Corps spokeswoman Eileen Williamson.

The slide was detected Wednesday and work began immediately to repair it. "It will take about a full week to repair," she said.

Farther south, where the Mississippi River has not yet crested, residents were working to clear out their homes and find ways to get by.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has asked for federal assistance in grappling with flooding resulting from the Morganza Spillway, where 17 bays have been opened in hopes of sparing New Orleans further downstream.

"As water from the Morganza Spillway is released into the Atchafalaya Basin, the impact to our rural communities and the industries upon which they rely will be dramatic and long-lasting," Jindal wrote the U.S. Department of Interior on Wednesday, his office announced Thursday. "I am requesting your immediate consideration of available assistance and recovery programs for our recreational and commercial fishing, hunting, and eco-tourism industries."

Mandatory evacuations will be in effect Saturday -- beginning at midnight Friday -- in Butte La Rose, Happy Town and the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office said.

By 8 a.m. Saturday, "the area will be secured and no one will be allowed to enter," the parish said in a news release.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate praised the efforts under way along the Mississippi. "Fortunately, the system is working as designed between the Army Corps of Engineers and the design structures and where they are having to open the spillways, they've been able to take pressure off the mainline levee," he said at an event in Maryland.

Officials said spillway gates are likely to be open for weeks, and it will be weeks before the river falls below flood stage, allowing those who have evacuated to return.

The flood is the most significant to hit the lower Mississippi River valley since at least 1937. It has affected nine states so far: Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Although recovery is a while off for areas that have already seen the worst of the floods, Tunica, Mississippi saw another step forward Thursday, with the return of a key economic driver for the region. The Tunica Roadhouse Casino announced it would reopen Thursday afternoon, the second to return to business in two days.

CNN's Ed Payne contributed to this report.

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Mississippi town awaits record flood

Vicksburg, Mississippi (CNN) -- Nervous anticipation. That is the feeling permeating through Vicksburg, Mississippi, as it awaits a historic flood crest to wash through the area later this week.

The Mississippi River, already at record levels, is forecast to peak early Thursday more than a foot over the record set in the city in 1927.

As the waters rise, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is keeping a watchful eye on the Yazoo Backwater Levee.

"Once we hit the crest on the 19th, it's not over," Henry Dulaney with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told CNN affiliate WLBT-TV. "Water is going to be on the levee for another month. And so everything that we've told people, they need to be wary of that for another month, month and a half."

The persistant danger means days off are canceled for Vicksburg police officers.

"We're now finding ourselves having to blanket this city with an added number of officers," Chief Walter Armstrong told WLBT. "Don't walk through it, don't drive through it, and we encourage parents to not allow their children play near or around the floodwaters."

Downstream in Vidalia, Louisiana, residents and officials tried to counter flooding from the rising Mississippi by stacking large containers two- and three-high around riverfront properties.

The U.S. Coast Guard reopened a section of the river there Tuesday that it had closed to prevent damage to levees from passing barges.

But officials said only one tow vessel at a time will be allowed to pass through the 15-mile area near Vidalia and Natchez, Mississippi. And they warned they could shut the waterway again if water levels rise to 62.5 feet.

"We will continue to closely monitor transits through the area to ensure the safety of the communities, as well as the towing vessels and their crews," Coast Guard Capt. Michael Gardiner said in a statement.

Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland told CNN's "John King USA" the prospect of flooding was a devastating threat in a city that relies on its Mississippi River waterfront and now faces the prospect of extensive infrastructure repairs.

"It's a lifeline of our communities. ... Sometimes it tells you, 'Hey, you think you have me controlled. Let me show you. ... Hopefully, one of these days we can control it a little bit more than we have, but it's the mighty Mississippi," he said.

The river drew to within a finger's length of the highest level recorded at Greenville, Mississippi, Tuesday as the flood continued to slink its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Levees along the length of the river appeared to be holding and water diverted through spillways seemed to be rising more slowly than expected, but Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal warned residents there's plenty that could go wrong.

"There's still an awful lot of water headed our way, and it's going to be here in many cases for weeks, not just a few days," he said.

Louisiana officials Tuesday issued advice to residents in flood-impacted areas on how to prevent snake encounters and bites.

Of the 22 species within the Morganza Spillway, three -- the copperhead, cottonmouth and canebrake rattler -- are venomous.

Officials said the spillway gates are likely to be open for weeks, and it will be weeks before the river falls below flood stage and those who have evacuated can safely return.

In Vidalia, two medical facilities, a hotel and the city's conference and convention center are being protected by temporary flood control barriers, said city spokeswoman Sheri Rabb.

Despite the canceling of convention meetings for May and June, people in the coastal city are going about their daily routine, Rabb said.

"We're big-time open for business," she said.

Sandbags are keeping water out of the convention center, Rabb said Tuesday afternoon, but water covers parking lots and other portions of the riverfront. "We hope to reopen by the end of June."

The city's water supply is thought to be in good shape.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported river closures Tuesday near Berwick and Morgan City, Louisiana, and at Bayou Chene, where workers submerged a barge to divert floodwaters into wetlands and away from populated areas.

In Mississippi, 4,937 people have been displaced by flooding so far, said Jeff Rent, a spokesman for the state Emergency Management Agency.

In Louisiana, more than 4,000 people had evacuated, Jindal said, citing figures compiled by parish authorities. But, he said, no shelters have been opened in the state.

By the weekend, floodwaters also are expected to peak at record levels in Natchez, Mississippi, as well as in Red River Landing and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to the weather service.

For the first time in its history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened three floodways, one in Missouri and two in Louisiana, to ease pressure on levees along the length of the river and reduce the possibility of devastating flooding in highly populated areas.

The flood is the most significant to hit the lower Mississippi River valley since at least 1937 and has so far affected nine states: Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Despite the misery and destruction, some residents in flooded areas are trying to make the best of a bad situation.

"You know I always wanted to fish off my front porch, but I never wanted to do it this way," former Poinsett County, Arkansas, Judge Doyle Hillis told CNN affiliate KAIT-TV in the community of Weona. "We've had a lot of laughs over it, but we've had a lot of sad minutes."

Hillis, who has lived in Weona for 66 years, said he would have never thought the water could get that high.

While he wasn't able to land a big catch, he said the fishing helps to keep his mind off the devastation.

"It's going to be a crying shame when the water goes down and they're actually going to see the damage they are going to have," Hillis said.

CNN's John King, Ed Lavandera, Martin Savidge, Ed Payne, Ashley Hayes, Ben Smith and Dave Alsup contributed to this report.

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Mississippi floods force evacuations

Krotz Springs, Louisiana (CNN) -- Residents of towns along the swollen Mississippi River on Sunday packed up their valuables and made last-ditch efforts to place sandbags and makeshift levees outside their homes, trying to protect themselves and their homes from rising waters.

"I have never experienced anything like this in my life," said Brett Ansley, 24, as he was hitching up his trailer home in Krotz Springs, Louisiana, to move it to higher ground. "It's crazy. It's unreal."

These efforts occurred as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened two additional gates Sunday morning on the Morganza spillway, located about 115 miles northwest of New Orleans. This is after opening the first two bays the previous day.

A collective gasp as Louisiana town braces for flood

The plan is to let out water from as many as one-fourth of the spillway's 125 bays to spare the Louisiana cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans from severe flooding, Corps spokesman Ricky Boyett has said. But it maystill affect nearly 4,000 people who live along the river, as it sends water toward homes and farmland in the Atchafalaya Basin, according to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

"At this time, we are currently monitoring the river, but it is too early to know if additional gates will be opened today," Boyett wrote in an e-mail to CNN.

Some of the spillway's gates will likely be open for weeks, and it'll be at least that long before the river falls safely below flood stage and those who have evacuated can safely return, said Col. Ed Fleming, the Corps' New Orleans district commander.

Stars talk about the flooding and response

Fleming said the decision to open the spillway, along with similar decisions made in recent weeks as the floodwaters moved southward, was done to address a historic excess of water in the Mississippi River and its tributaries. While the spillways will divert water away from Louisiana cities, low-lying central parts of the state will be flooded.

Across the South and lower Midwest, floodwaters have already covered about 3 million acres of farmland, eroding for many farmers what could have been a profitable year for corn, wheat, rice and cotton, officials said.

Authorities in St. Landry Parish issued a mandatory evacuation that affected about 2,000 people -- including about 750 people living in 240 homes in Krotz Springs. Residents in other areas were under a voluntary evacuation, with authorities encouraging but not ordering them to leave.

Don Menard, the parish's president, said Sunday afternoon that water levels in Krotz Springs appear lower than expected -- though he said he thought they'd rise considerably after midnight, and especially if and when more floodgates are opened.

NBA's Grizzlies inspired by fans in flooded Memphis

"It's the fear of the unknown," Menard said, noting estimates that the water could rise 10 to 15 feet in spots. "These are predictions, no one knows for sure what will happen."

CNN iReporter Faisal Abou-Shahla posted a video of flooded homes in St. Francisville, Louisiana, about 30 miles north of Baton Rouge. He said he shot the video on Saturday, after the first gate was opened on the spillway. Abou-Shahla said he lives in Baton Rouge and was visiting his fiancee's parents in St. Francisville.

Some city residents "were waiting until the last second to leave," he said Sunday, while others used whatever they could to try to minimize damage to their homes for when the high waters roll in.

"There were a few seemingly futile attempts to put sandbags up," said Abou-Shahla.

Following the opening of the spillway, the National Weather Service revised its flood forecasts and lowered projected cresting levels in some Louisiana towns. Forecasters also said the river may crest earlier than first thought in some areas.

"The river at Baton Rouge through New Orleans will crest sooner than upstream locations due to Morganza spillway operations," said the latest forecast, issued Saturday. "After crests, stages will remain at the same levels and New Orleans will fluctuate near flood stage while Bonnet Carre and Morganza are operated."

Authorities previously opened gates on the Bonnet Carre spillway, located upstream from Morganza.

Already on Sunday, waters in Vicksburg, Mississippi, had reached record levels of 56.2 feet , the weather service reported. This is well above the 43-foot flood stage, but still short of the forecasted crest of 57.5 feet on Thursday. Levels in Natchez, further south downriver, were two feet higher than the record set in 1937 on Sunday, but just under three feet shy of the 63-foot crest expected Saturday.

The weather service said the river was also cresting Sunday in New Orleans and Reserve, Louisiana, because of the spillway operations. At Reserve, the river was cresting at 28.2 feet, above the historic 1929 flood level of 26 feet. At New Orleans, however, the crest was 17 feet, about four feet below the historic level of 1922.

Spillways explained

Residents were counting on a levee for protection. In addition to the mainline levee along the river, starting near Vicksburg and extending northeast for more than 20 miles, a so-called backwater levee offers shelter.

The backwater levee is designed to keep water from backing into the Yazoo River delta and is designed lower than the mainline levee so that water can flow over it.

Peter Nimrod, the Mississippi Levee Board's chief engineer, said Sunday there was a "remote" chances the levees could be breached, though he expressed confidence they would hold. Even if it stays intact, the expectation is excess water will rush over them for several days.

"There will be a lot of sleepless nights, when this thing starts overtopping," Nimrod said. "It will be a very stressful time for everyone."

CNN's Ed Lavandera, Martin Savidge, Justin Lear, Jacqui Jeras and Ashley Hayes contributed to this report.

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Nervous residents watch rising Mississippi River

NEW: "My house is completely submerged," Mississippi resident saysNEW: At Morganza Spillway, any number of 125 gate bays could be openedArkansas Farm Bureau estimates damage to state's agriculture to top $500 millionLouisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says flooding could affect about 3 million acres Check out local reports on CNN affiliates WMC, WPTY, WSIL, KFVS, WPSD and WREG. If you're in an affected area, share your story with CNN's iReport.

Tunica, Mississippi (CNN) -- The swollen Mississippi River rolled south Wednesday, swamping emptied-out towns and businesses, and threatening untold damage to areas still recovering from a series of natural disasters.

In Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, authorities and residents braced for the days ahead.

"I went through Katrina," said Lynn Magnuson of New Orleans. "I would not wish flooding on anyone, and this city is the last place on Earth that needs any more high water."

Open Story: Damage map

The river crested Tuesday at Memphis, just short of a record set in 1937.

The river in Memphis measured 47.8 feet Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Flood stage in Memphis is 34 feet.

In Natchez, Mississippi, the river surpassed its record early Wednesday, exceeding 58 feet. Forecasts predict the river will crest in Natchez on May 21 at an overwhelming 64 feet. Flood stage in Natchez is 48 feet.

Floodwaters on rise in Mississippi, Louisiana

Mississippi has already had to close some casinos at Tunica, a key economic driver in that part of the state, as floodwaters seeped in.

About 600 people in the community of Tunica Cutoff have been driven from their homes, said Larry Liddell, a county spokesman.

"My house is completely submerged. You can't even see it from a photograph," said Michael Dewes, who fled the Tunica Cutoff community and is staying in a shelter. "It's completely gone."

In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal said as many as 3 million acres could be affected by the flooding. Some 500 National Guard members have been mobilized so far and 21 parishes have issued emergency declarations.

The river's crest is expected to begin arriving in Louisiana next week. Flooding is expected to be a major setback in the southern part of the state.

"After hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike -- as well as the oil spill -- Louisiana can ill afford another large-scale disaster," said Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat. "Billions of dollars in property is at stake, not to mention the threat to human life."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it was closing a major lock that allows for the transfer of barge traffic between the Mississippi and the Red River Basin.

On Tuesday, the Corps opened 44 more gates to the Bonnet Carre Spillway in Norco, Louisiana, north of New Orleans, sending millions of gallons of water rushing into Lake Pontchartrain and, eventually, the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition to 28 gates opened on Monday, it may consider opening an additional 38 on Wednesday, according to John Young, the Jefferson Parish president.

As the swollen waters inch closer, anxious Louisiana residents are demanding answers.

Some have posted on Facebook pages operated by the Corps, demanding answers about when certain spillways will be opened and what other areas are facing flooding.

Residents and officials are especially concerned about the Morganza Spillway above Baton Rouge, which was last opened in 1973. Opening it could help spare Baton Rouge and New Orleans from some of the flooding's damage, but it would flood populated and rural areas in the swampy Atchafalaya Basin. The basin is home to the Atchafalaya River and myriad tributaries.

The 4,800-foot spillway includes 125 gate bays, said operations manager Russell Beauvais. In 1973, 42 of them were opened.

After gates are opened, Beauvais said, it would take about three days for the water to fully reach Morgan City, a town of about 12,000 near the coast.

In Arkansas, meanwhile, the Farm Bureau estimated damage to the state agriculture could top $500 million as more than a million acres of cropland are under water.

In Helena, Arkansas, the river was above 56 feet Wednesday. Flood level in Helena is 44 feet.

A crest is defined as the high point of the water during a flood before it begins to recede. Observers generally know that cresting is occurring when the gradual rise stops and the water level becomes stable.

What does cresting mean?

The Mississippi is the highest it's been at Memphis since 1937 when it crested at 48.7 feet -- 14.7 feet above flood stage. That flood killed 500 people and inundated 20 million acres of land, said Col. Vernie Reichling, the Corps of Engineers Memphis District commander.

How the Mississippi River levees could fail

So far, the levees protecting the area have only shown minor weaknesses, which workers have been able to control, he said.

President Barack Obama signed disaster declarations for Tennessee, which will help direct federal aid toward recovery efforts in areas hit by severe storms, flooding and tornadoes.

Flooding also continues to be a problem in southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois, though the Mississippi and Ohio rivers have already crested in those states.

CNN's Ed Lavandera and Tracy Sabo contributed to this report.

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U.S. Army battles to control Mississippi

New Orleans (CNN) -- Waging war against flooding of historic proportions that has already affected thousands of people in eight Midwestern and Southern states, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened a spillway Monday north of New Orleans in an effort to calm the rising Mississippi River.

A crowd gathered near the entrance to the Bonnet Carre spillway to watch workers using cranes slide open the gates to the flood control system, which was built beginning in 1929 after a devastating flood two years before. The spillway, like another that could be opened next week, is designed to divert floodwater away from New Orleans and slow the raging river to protect the low-lying city.

While the river's highest levels may still be days away, a decision to open the second flood control structure -- the Morganza Spillway -- may not be, Gov. Bobby Jindal said. People with property that would flood if the spillway is opened should not dally, Jindal warned.

"My advice to our people is not to wait, to get prepared now," Jindal said.

Time magazine photos: Floodwaters rise along Mississippi

Upstream in Memphis, Tennessee, residents and authorities had prepared all they could Monday as they anxiously waited for the Mississippi to crest Tuesday morning at a near-record 14 feet above flood stage.

"It's sort of torturous, we've been waiting so long. It's hard keeping peoples' attention. It's warning fatigue, if you will," Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton Jr. said. "But we're ready for it."

Water levels on the Mississippi

The river is the highest it's been at Memphis since 1937, when it crested at 48.7 feet -- 14.7 feet above flood stage. That flood killed 500 people and inundated 20 million acres of land, said Col. Vernie Reichling, the Corps' Memphis District commander.

The river Monday covered the lowest parts of the city's historic Beale Street and had forced about 400 people from their homes, Wharton said. Another 1,300 remained in low-lying areas, he said.

While Corps' officials said it appeared levees protecting the area were holding up well, with only minor amounts of water seeping in from beneath or lapping over from above, local officials were taking no chances.

"It's a very powerful river. It looks like it's running very slowly, but it has a very strong current," said Bob Nations, director of preparedness in Shelby County, Tennessee, which includes Memphis. "We still don't know (exactly what) the river might do."

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Nicholas Pegues, an East Memphis resident who lives near the Wolf River, said he's seen extensive flooding and homes left uninhabitable by the water as he's traveled through the region.

"It's affecting daily life tremendously," said Pegues, a Shelby County elections' division employee who submitted photos of the flooding to CNN iReport. "It is pretty severe downtown. ... I know a lot of ... people have lost their homes."

iReport: Flooding in downtown Memphis

The flooding also hit sections of southwest Memphis, along the Nonconnah Creek.

"It's just bad," James Black told CNN affiliate WREG-TV in Memphis. "Like I say, it's an act of God. What can you do in an act of God?"

Wharton, the city's mayor, said the flooding had not yet caused major disruptions in the city, and he did not expect it to, even though National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Borghoff said it is possible the river won't fall below flood stage at Memphis until June.

Memphis businesses prepare for flooding

That's the problem in Missouri and southern Illinois, where flooding continues even though the Mississippi and Ohio river crests have moved south.

In Murphysboro, Illinois, CNN iReporter Robert Icenogle said a swollen creek is inundating a church and band shell, while threatening to wash out telephone poles.

"We cannot get to the park, which is underwater, or to other towns," he said. "Most of the roads are closed, plus the water sewage plant is getting sandbagged."

"(If) the sewage plant shuts down, we won't have tap water to bathe in or drink," he added.

Final levee breach completed in plan to stem flooding

Last week, the Corps intentionally breached a levee in Missouri as part of its effort to reduce the pressure on other levees, flooding 130,000 acres of agricultural land over the objection of state officials and some farmers.

"I'm very sad. I look at that and I don't have a home," Marilynn Nally said, pointing to her flooded family farm. "I feel like we're having to suffer for somebody else."

About 25 miles away in Metropolis, Illinois, Eloise Burton mourned the loss of her home.

"It's sad to think about all these years, we've lost everything," she told CNN affiliate WPSD-TV in Paducah, Kentucky, on Sunday.

As the floodwaters worked their way south, the operator of the nuclear plant in Port Gibson, Mississippi, expressed concerns that rising water could cut off an access road to the facility.

However, there was no plan to shut down the Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Station and no immediate cause for concern, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Agency said Monday.

In Louisiana, where the river's crest is not expected to begin arriving until next week, Jindal added bears to the list of things residents need to think about. He said flooding could force some of the state's ursine residents from their homes and into populated areas.

So far, 21 parishes have issued emergency declarations ahead of expected flooding, Jindal said.

He said 400 National Guard troops would be active by the end of the day Monday helping prepare for the flood.

The Corps' decision to open the Bonnet Carre spillway was part of its overall plan to reduce pressure on the levee system and lower river levels to lessen the threat to low-lying New Orleans and other southern Louisiana communities.

The spillway opened on Monday diverts water from the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico by way of Lake Pontchartrain.

But the Corps was also considering opening the Morganza Spillway, a move that would flood populated areas and could put Morgan City, Louisiana, and other communities at risk. Fleming said he had formally requested authority to open the spillway, and Jindal said that approval could come as soon as Monday afternoon.

Jindal said the Louisiana National Guard had asked for at least three days, but preferably five days, to evacuate those areas before the Corps opens the gates.

Even with opening the spillways, forecasters have predicted widespread flooding along the system designed to keep the high waters outside the New Orleans.

But even with a forecast for record or near-record crests into next week and weeks of high water to follow, Corps officials say they expect nothing like the widespread and devastating flooding that occurred along the southernmost stretch of the Mississippi River in 1927.

That flood began near Memphis in the fall of 1926 and did not end until the following August, according to a National Weather Service report on the disaster. It devastated the levee system and flooded 165 million acres of land, sweeping 600,000 people from their homes. It came at a cost of 246 lives and the equivalent of nearly $624 million in 2011 dollars.

As a result of that flood, the report says, Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1928. That prompted a massive public works programs to build a system of levees and other structures designed to hold back the river more effectively.

The latest flooding in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys is largely the byproduct of torrential rains throughout the region. Over one two-week stretch, there was about 600% more precipitation than usual, Reichling said.

The weather now appears to be working in the flood fighters' favor.

Only minimal rain is expected over the coming days, with daytime temperatures forecast to be in the upper 80s and 90s through Thursday, at which point the water levels should begin to creep back down.

But the Corps isn't going to back down anytime soon in watching over its powerful and sometimes unruly charge.

"It's a historic time we're in all along the Mississippi River," Fleming said.

CNN's Greg Botelho, Marlena Baldacci, Phil Gast and Ben Smith contributed to this report.

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Rising Mississippi threatens U.S. town

A boy in Cairo, Illinois, looks over a levee wall holding back floodwaters from the Ohio River.NEW: 100 residents evacuated in Missouri floodway areaAn Illinois mayor asks some residents to be ready to evacuate in town of Cairo A federal judge ruled the Army Corps of Engineers may burst a Mississippi River levee The plan would flood more than 130,000 evacuated acres in southeastern Missouri

(CNN) -- An Illinois mayor urged some residents on Friday to make plans to evacuate the town as the flood-engorged Mississippi River reached record levels.

Cairo Mayor Judson Childs asked "senior citizens, people with medical conditions or special needs along with families with children that live in single-story homes" to be ready leave the flood-threatened town, according to a written statement.

Earlier on Friday, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may intentionally burst a Mississippi River levee in an effort to prevent the flooding of the town.

Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, ruled that a 1928 law permitted the breach of the levee to ease pressure on the Mississippi River.

The Corps' plan would flood more than 130,000 evacuated acres -- much of it farmland -- in southeastern Missouri, said Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster.

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Koster argues the corps is trying to protect the town of Cairo, located downstream.

James Pogue, chief spokesman in the Corps' Memphis office, said the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway is a "safety valve" in the current crisis.

The floodway would help direct the flow of the excess waters.

"This allows us to do what nature will do anyway, (but) in a controlled system," he said.

Limbaugh said the Corps may implement the plan "only as absolutely essential to provide the authorized protection to all citizens."

He added that the Corps' plan does not suggest "arbitrary or capricious decision-making."

Birds Point is about 140 miles south of St. Louis. The floodway is about 35 miles from north to south and is four to 12 miles wide.

Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh ordered barges to be moved north on the river to prepare for the levee breach, Pogue said. "The decision was to move forward with the plan."

About 100 people were ordered from their homes in Birds Point-New Madrid due to utilities being cut off in the area, Pogue said.

The Corps, which has authority over flood control, will make a final decision before the barges and teams get to work at Birds Point, he said.

About 100 families live in the floodway, which has not seen such use since 1937.

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Citizens prepare to flee as Mississippi rises

A boy in Cairo, Illinois, looks over a levee wall holding back floodwaters from the Ohio River.NEW: 100 residents evacuated in Missouri floodway areaAn Illinois mayor asks some residents to be ready to evacuate in town of Cairo A federal judge ruled the Army Corps of Engineers may burst a Mississippi River levee The plan would flood more than 130,000 evacuated acres in southeastern Missouri

(CNN) -- An Illinois mayor urged some residents on Friday to make plans to evacuate the town as the flood-engorged Mississippi River reached record levels.

Cairo Mayor Judson Childs asked "senior citizens, people with medical conditions or special needs along with families with children that live in single-story homes" to be ready leave the flood-threatened town, according to a written statement.

Earlier on Friday, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may intentionally burst a Mississippi River levee in an effort to prevent the flooding of the town.

Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, ruled that a 1928 law permitted the breach of the levee to ease pressure on the Mississippi River.

The Corps' plan would flood more than 130,000 evacuated acres -- much of it farmland -- in southeastern Missouri, said Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster.

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Koster argues the corps is trying to protect the town of Cairo, located downstream.

James Pogue, chief spokesman in the Corps' Memphis office, said the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway is a "safety valve" in the current crisis.

The floodway would help direct the flow of the excess waters.

"This allows us to do what nature will do anyway, (but) in a controlled system," he said.

Limbaugh said the Corps may implement the plan "only as absolutely essential to provide the authorized protection to all citizens."

He added that the Corps' plan does not suggest "arbitrary or capricious decision-making."

Birds Point is about 140 miles south of St. Louis. The floodway is about 35 miles from north to south and is four to 12 miles wide.

Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh ordered barges to be moved north on the river to prepare for the levee breach, Pogue said. "The decision was to move forward with the plan."

About 100 people were ordered from their homes in Birds Point-New Madrid due to utilities being cut off in the area, Pogue said.

The Corps, which has authority over flood control, will make a final decision before the barges and teams get to work at Birds Point, he said.

About 100 families live in the floodway, which has not seen such use since 1937.

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Arkansas, Mississippi top U.S. in wireless-only households

South Dakota has the highest rate of landline-only households in the U.S., according to a new study. STORY HIGHLIGHTSCDC says nearly one-fourth of all U.S. households are now wireless-onlyArkansas and Mississippi lead at just over 35% eachEconomy may be reason for more households going wireless-onlyRELATED TOPICSCenters for Disease Control and PreventionMobileEditor's note: Amy Gahran writes about mobile tech for CNN.com. She is a San Francisco Bay Area writer and media consultant whose blog, contentious.com, explores how people communicate in the online age.

(CNN) -- If you needed any evidence that landlines are waning, here it is: According to new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one-fourth of all U.S. households use only wireless phones.

The states with the highest proportion of wireless-only households are Arkansas and Mississippi -- neither of which is known as a high-tech hub -- at just over 35% each. Both saw growth of about 15% in this sector from January 2007 to June 2010.

The lowest wireless-only rates were found in New Jersey and Rhode Island, both at nearly 13% as of June 2010.

The report offers no explanation for this disparity. However, I'm guessing that U.S. economic conditions have spawned wireless market opportunities in unexpected places.

For instance, mobile phone service is increasingly viewed as more of a daily necessity than landline service, especially among people facing financial challenges. So Arkansas and Mississippi might be topping the wireless-only list because those states were hit especially hard by the recent recession.

Not coincidentally, discount and regional wireless carriers have been expanding their networks significantly outside major metro areas, offering the flat-rate monthly no-contract plans that are especially attractive to people on limited budgets.

Of course, that's just a guess. The "why" behind this transition -- and especially the wide regional variation in household telephone preferences -- is worth further research.

Here's why the CDC is presenting these telecom statistics: On an ongoing basis, the CDC conducts the National Health Interview Survey, primarily via telephone interviews. Since it's crucial for the CDC to reach a representative sample of the full U.S. population, the NHIS has become the most widely cited source for data on the ownership and use of U.S. phone lines.

The latest report, published Wednesday as part of the NHIS Early Release Program, presents national and regional estimates. The report features tables showing wireless household rates from January 2007 through June 2010, both for states and for several counties (mostly around major metro areas) within most states.

According to the CDC, as of June 2010 "more than one in four American households (26.6%) had only wireless telephones -- an eightfold increase over just six years. The prevalence of wireless-only households now markedly exceeds the prevalence of households with only landline telephones (12.9%), and this difference is expected to grow."

I hope the CDC -- or somebody -- republishes these rates in a searchable database format, because this data offers intriguing context for how local communication preferences shift.

For instance, in Alameda County, California, in 2007 only 9.6% of households were wireless-only. But by June 2010, this nearly doubled to 17.4%.

Also, in 2007 in the city and county of Denver, Colorado, 26.1% of households were wireless-only. By June 2010, 33.6% were -- a 7.5% increase. But throughout the rest of the state of Colorado, wireless-only households grew from 16.8% in 2007 to 28.4% by June 2010 -- an 11.6% increase.

The CDC report also compared rates among states and some counties or other sub-state regions for these categories: wireless-only, wireless-mostly, dual-use, landline-mostly, landline-only, and no phone service.

Here are some interesting numbers from that table:

• South Dakota has the highest rate by far (50.8%) of landline-only households.

• Minnesota's Twin Cities area had the lowest reliable estimate of landline-only homes: 5.7%.

• Davidson County, Tennessee, which includes Nashville, had an even higher rate (37.5%) of wireless-only households than Arkansas and Mississippi.

• Central and northern New Mexico counties had the highest collective rate of households with no phone service: 4.5%.

• Santa Clara County, California, has the lowest U.S. rate of landline-only households: 0.6%

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Amy Gahran.

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One child dead, several injured in Mississippi bus crash

By the CNN Wire Staff STORY HIGHLIGHTSOne child was killed in an early morning bus crash in MississippiThe state highway patrol is investigating (CNN) -- One child died and several were injured Friday in Bolivar County, Mississippi, when a school bus collided with a tractor-trailer on a foggy stretch of road, officials said.

The bus was carrying elementary-school and high-school students when the accident happened around 7 a.m. Friday, said Cedrick Ellis, superintendent of the Shaw School District, in Shaw, Mississippi.

A "younger child" was killed in the accident, said Dr. J.O. Trice, a deputy county coroner.

Ellis said the bus and a tractor-trailer loaded with gravel collided, causing both vehicles to overturn.

The Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol is investigating, Ellis said. It was not clear if the fog contributed to the crash,.

CNN's Maria White and Vivian Kuo contributed to this report.

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