Levee reopens in Baton Rouge; spillway bays closing

U.S. Army Corps closes some bays at spillway above New OrleansLevee partially reopens in Baton RougeThat section is popular with pedestrians, bicyclists

(CNN) -- Pedestrians and bicyclists were allowed back on a Mississippi River levee in Baton Rouge, one of two developments Saturday that showed the flooding crisis in Louisiana was easing.

Mayor-President Melvin "Kip" Holden closed the levee May 13 because record high water was expected during the height of the flood, CNN affiliate WBRZ reported.

Since the river began falling, crews have been removing sandbags. The downtown portion reopened Saturday; another section will be back in business next week.

"I think it's a big part of downtown Baton Rouge," Rachel Brignac said of the levee. "There's not a whole lot of places to hang out and have a good time."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was to begin closing 30 of 330 bays at the Bonnet Carre spillway at Lake Ponchartrain.

The agency said it will continue to assess the conditions of the river and perform more closures when warranted.

"We'll evaluate the river each day, we'll evaluate the flows again and determine how many we need to close each day until we get the structure completely closed," Corps spokesman Mike Stack told CNN New Orleans affiliate WWL.

The Corps opened the spillway last month to divert water from the Mississippi River and protect New Orleans.

The Mississippi River was at 15.4 feet in New Orleans Saturday, 1.6 feet below flood stage.

Baton Rouge's reading was 39.44. Flood stage is 35 feet.

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Levee breach near the Missouri-Iowa border prompts evacuations

(CNN) -- A levee breach along the swollen Missouri River prompted the evacuation Sunday of about 600 people in the area between the river and Hamburg, Iowa, officials said.

Residents were told they needed to leave within 24 hours.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported the breach occurred Sunday morning on a levee located in Atchison County, Missouri, near Hamburg.

Crews worked furiously to repair the breach, which Gen. Derek Hill, head of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, described as a boil, believed to be less than two inches in diameter.

He said the evacuation order was made as a precaution, in case the boil develops into a full-blown breach.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for southwest Iowa Sunday. If the levee fails, Interstate 29 and parts of Hamburg would likely be flooded, it said.

The cause of the breach was not immediately clear.

Crews were using a helicopter to pick up sandbags and fly them out over the levee, Hill said.

"No guarantees, but we certainly hope it will (work)," he said, noting the technique has been used before.

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The levee breach follows weeks of high flows and record releases from dams in Montana and the Dakotas, according to the Corps. Heavy rains and snow pack runoff could result in near-record flooding along parts of the Missouri River this year.

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Levee breach set in Midwest

Eleven Mississippi counties are declared federal disaster areasSen. Claire McCaskill calls it "an epic flood"Water from the Mississippi River floods hundreds of square miles of farmlandHeavy rains have caused massive flooding from Minnesota to Louisiana Check out more coverage from CNN affilate KPLR-TV in St. Louis. If you're in an affected area, share your story with CNN's iReport.

(CNN) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was moving ahead Thursday with a controversial plan to breach a levee on the Mississippi River to help stop catastrophic floods in communities in several states.

The group intends to open the final crevasse in the Birds Point-New Madrid levee, continuing a plan to blast holes in it in an effort to ease unprecedented flood pressure.

The Corps started the plan on Monday. Some who live where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet said it has helped.

The Ohio River level at Cairo, Illinois, has dropped nearly 2 feet since Monday afternoon. Officials said they believe the levels would be up to 3 feet higher now if the levee had not been detonated.

Still, the town of Cairo was under a mandatory evacuation order and six other communities were under voluntary evacuation notices, said Patti Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

The decision to breach the Birds Point-New Madrid levee was controversial. Missouri officials took the Corps to court over the plan, questioning the agency's authority to intentionally breach the levee. The state argued the floodwater would deposit silt on about 130,000 acres, and it would take years, along with millions of dollars, to fix the damage.

Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, commander of the Corps' Mississippi River Valley Division, made the decision to order the breach. He warned that without punching a hole in the levee, massive flooding would threaten to inundate communities throughout the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case on Sunday, clearing the way for Walsh to blow up part of the levee.

Despite the plan, many areas were inundated as the Mississippi River spilled out across huge swaths of farmland, creating massive flooding from Minnesota to Louisiana.

The water was coursing across an area of farmland that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon described as "literally the most productive part of our continent."

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill said the Corps' decision was a tough one for them to make.

"Clearly, this is an epic flood," she told CNN, adding that the flooding of the farmland is "an economic devastation to that part of my state."

The sight makes you "sick to your stomach," said farmer Bryan Feezor as he surveyed his submerged fields.

"Farming is all I ever have done ... and it's under water," he told CNN affiliate KPLR.

The flooding has been triggered by heavy rains and meteorologists say it's not expected to fully relent until early June.

More than 20 miles of westbound Interstate 40 in eastern Arkansas was closed due to flooding, state police reported early Thursday.

The closure was between the towns of Hazen and Brinkley, according to Lt. Jackie Clark, who said he expects the eastbound lanes to close later in the day.

On Thursday, 11 Mississippi counties along the Mississippi River were declared federal disaster areas in anticipation of major flooding, Gov. Haley Barbour said.

"This will be a monumental flood, and I ask residents to take this risk seriously and make evacuation plans," Barbour said.

The state's department of transportation prepared a list of possible road closures, but as of Thursday afternoon, only one road was closed, Mississippi State Route 465 in Warren and Issaquena counties between U.S. Highway 61 and Eagle Lake, the agency said.

"There is no exact science to this, so it's imperative that state and federal agencies work closely to lead us through this crisis," Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall said in a prepared statement.

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Record flooding still in forecast after levee breach

Farmer says the sight of his submerged farm makes you "sick to your stomach"Operations seems to be working so far, official saysLevees are breached at Birds Point and New Madrid, MissouriRecord or near-record flooding is still forecast in at least eight statesRead more about this story from CNN affiliate KPLR. Are you in the area? Share your photos and videos with CNN, but be safe.

(CNN) -- The intentional breach of a levee on the Mississippi River is helping to ease unprecedented flood pressure on other areas, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.

The Ohio River level had dropped about 1.7 feet at Cairo, Illinois, since Monday afternoon, before the blast, but that is expected to level off Wednesday.

The breach, created when engineers detonated explosives late Monday night at Birds Point, Missouri, is sending 396,000 cubic feet of water per second onto 200 square miles of fertile Missouri farmland.

The water is coursing across a floodway that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon described as "literally the most productive part of our continent."

Two states grapple with rising floodwaters

Farmer Bryan Feezor said the sight makes you "sick to your stomach" as he surveyed his submerged fields.

"Farming is all I ever have done ... and it's under water," he told CNN affiliate KPLR. "I really don't know (what I'm going to do)."

A second levee blast was conducted Tuesday afternoon at New Madrid, Missouri, and a third is planned Wednesday near Hickman, Kentucky. The second and third blasts, downstream of Birds Point, will allow floodwater to return to the Mississippi River.

While the plan appeared to be working -- the level of the Ohio River fell where it joins the Mississippi -- record crests and relentless pressure from millions of gallons of water still threatened communities throughout the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys.

Vicksburg, Mississippi, could see water levels rise 4 feet by Sunday. Authorities told residents of Caruthersville, Missouri, that sandbags may not be enough to control the water.

Corina Jolley, of Sikeston, Missouri, said she grew up in Dorena, Missouri, which she said was being inundated by the breach on the Mississippi River.

A tombstone rests above the remains of her father and uncle, but "I'm sure we'll never see it again," said Jolley, who said residents of the rich farmland will be out of luck, as opposed to those in Cairo, for whom the risk has been lessened by the breaches.

"Whoever thought it would be this bad?" she said.

The situation was especially perilous for a 93-year-old woman who was caught in the swollen waters of the Black River near Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where two members of the Missouri National Guard rescued her from a partially submerged car.

"We weren't there to be heroes," said Sgt. Tim Bridges. "We were just doing our jobs." Bridges, along with Spc. Junior Bombard, waded through the rushing, muddy waters to ferry the woman to safety.

This "is the reason why I signed up for the Guard," said Spc. Junior Bombard.

The town of Cairo remained under a mandatory evacuation despite the intentional breach, while six other communities were under voluntary evacuation notices, said Patti Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

"We're definitely not out of the woods yet," she said. "The levees are all very saturated right now and they're going to continue to have a lot of pressure on them for several days."

Even with the levee breach, the National Weather Service continues to predict record or near-record flooding in parts of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky and Tennessee, southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, and parts of Mississippi and Louisiana.

Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, commander of the Corps' Mississippi River Valley Division, made the decision to order the breach. He warned that without punching a hole in the levee, massive flooding would threaten to inundate communities throughout the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys.

"There's a tremendous amount of pressure on the system," he told reporters Tuesday evening. "The project operated as designed."

It was a controversial decision. Missouri officials took the Corps to court over the plan, questioning the agency's authority to intentionally breach the levee. The state argued the floodwater would deposit silt on the estimated 130,000 acres, and years, along with millions of dollars, would be required to fix the damage.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case on Sunday, clearing the way for Walsh to blow the levee.

Some Missouri residents were angered by the decision, saying it would destroy their communities and provide questionable benefit. But others felt the decision was for the best.

"Yeah, we lost ... acres of farm land here in Missouri," said Sikeston, Missouri, resident Patricia Mobely, who recently fled the drought and firestorms of Texas for what she thought would be a more peaceful life in the Midwest. "But how much more would we have lost if we hadn't done it?"

"The sacrifice that these people are making is for the greater good," Jim Pogue with the Army Corps of Engineers told KPLR. "Their sacrifices are going to benefit hundreds of thousands of people all through this region. It's not just Cairo. It's people all through this part of the country."

Walsh called the decision to inundate the farmland and about 100 homes "heart-wrenching."

"I've been involved with flooding for 10 years and it takes a long time to recover from something like this," he said.

CNN's Phil Gast contributed to this report.

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Army Corps blows up levee to flood 130,000 acres in Missouri

(CNN) -- With a series of blasts that briefly illuminated the night sky like lightning, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began blowing up a Mississippi River levee overnight, flooding about 200 square miles of rich farmland in an effort to bring down historic river levels and spare the city of Cairo, Illinois and other communities.

The controversial decision to breach the Birds Point-New Madrid levee appeared to be working, said Col. Vernie Reichling, commander of the Corps' Memphis district.

The Ohio River at Cairo peaked at 61.72 feet just before the blast late Monday -- the highest level on record, according to the National Weather Service. By 6 a.m. Tuesday, it had fallen to 60.62 feet, according to river gauge readings provided by the Corps. Even that still exceeds the previous record of 59.5 feet set in 1937, according to Weather Service records.

The breach could cause river levels to fall by three to four feet over the next few days, according to Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, commander of the Corps' Mississippi River Valley Division.

Without an intentional breach, authorities had warned of massive flooding that could wipe out the city of Cairo, which sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Cairo's mayor had already ordered the city's 2,800 residents to evacuate.

Missouri officials took the Corps to court over the plan, questioning the agency's authority to intentionally breach the levee. The state argued the flood waters would deposit silt on the some 130,000 acres of farmland that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon described as "literally the most productive part of our continent."

The silt, he said, would take years to clear, causing long-lasting damage.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case on Sunday, clearing the way for Walsh's decision to blow the levee.

Nixon estimated it will take tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars to recover from the intentional flooding.

Walsh said the fate of Cairo was just one of many factors in his decision, saying he hoped the move would alleviate issues throughout the Mississippi River system. Water levels and flooding have hit record highs in many spots, putting severe strains on systems meant to prevent uncontrolled floods and the resulting loss of life and property.

"Nobody has seen this type of water in the system," he said. "This is unprecedented."

He called the decision to inundate the farmland and about 100 homes "heart-wrenching."

"I've been involved with flooding for 10 years and it takes a long time to recover from something like this," he said.

The initial series of blasts happened late Monday. Engineers then set the second charges overnight and planned to detonate them early Tuesday. A third series of detonations will follow, according to the Corps.

The governors of Illinois and Missouri said authorities in both states are prepared for the blast and subsequent flooding, according to prepared statements.

"I urge Missourians to continue to cooperate fully with state, county and local law enforcement, as they have at every stage of this process," Nixon said. "Together, we will ensure that Missouri families stay safe in the coming days. And together, we will recover and rebuild."

A statement released by Quinn's office called the decision to breach the levee "an important step to ensure public safety as we respond to this crisis."

Even as the river was falling, Walsh did not rule out similar moves elsewhere along the Mississippi and its tributaries, saying the levee system is already under unprecedented pressure and warning water levels could rise again.

"This doesn't end this historic flood," he said.

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Residents watchful of levee plan

The Mississippi River overflowed its banks near Cairo, Illinois, last week.NEW: The U.S. Supreme Court rules against Missouri, so levee can be breached NEW: The Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois, is 60.3 feet -- 50% above flood stageMissouri asks the Supreme Court to halt a plan to explode a levee to lessen pressureThe proposal would flood Missouri farmland but save an Illinois town

Birds Point, Missouri (CNN) -- Persistent, heavy rains have helped swell the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to the highest levels ever recorded, said an Army Corps of Engineers official Sunday.

This ominous development prompted Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission, to order several barges into place at 3 p.m. to begin pumping explosive slurry into a levee near where the two rivers meet. This is all in preparation -- if the decision is made -- to blow up the Birds Point-New Madrid levee and potentially flood 130,000 acres of Missouri farmland, in part to save the town of Cairo, Illinois.

At 8 p.m., the water levels on the Ohio River outside Cairo had reached 60.27 feet -- well above the flood stage of 40 feet -- according to the National Weather Service. And, boosted by more rain, the forecast calls for a continued rise to as high as 61.5 feet by Tuesday afternoon.

"This is the largest flood that we have ever seen in our lifetimes," Walsh said.

Two states divided by river, flooding

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Sunday to block any plan to intentionally breach the levee. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito ruled against Missouri -- effectively giving Walsh the authority to execute on the levee-breach plan.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster's office had appealed to the court, questioning the Corps' authority to do so. He had hoped to overturn a federal judge's ruling against Missouri on Friday, saying a 1928 law permits the breach of the levee to ease pressure on the river.

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Hours before the Supreme Court ruling came down, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon told reporters Sunday that he was not dwelling on the legal battle. Rather, he said that local and state authorities are focused first and foremost on making all necessary preparations, including steps to protect property and lives, assuming that the levee will be breached and massive flooding will occur.

"The litigation is out there, but that's not our focal point, quite frankly," Nixon said, flanked by Walsh. "This doesn't thrill us, where we are, but this is a (difficult) situation. ... We understand the general and his team have difficult decisions to make."

Walsh said he'd directed crews to move the barges across the river to Missouri and load the pipes with the blasting agent. The entire process -- including priming the explosives and breaching the levee -- would take about 20 hours, at which point the controlled blast could occur.

"I have not given the command to put it into operation, just to get it to the next step," Walsh said.

The crisis is centered on the stretch of the Mississippi River between Memphis and St. Louis, but it relates to a far broader issue of excess water in the river and its tributaries. Engineers have warned that should the rising waters of the Mississippi River overwhelm the entire flood control project, it could deluge cities, destroy crops, destroy businesses and paralyze river transportation.

Engineers already have reported sand boils and seepage at a number of levees near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, a condition that Walsh said also threatens the integrity of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project -- the world's largest flood control project.

Belief Blog: Baptism in floodwaters

"There is water in places where we have never ever seen it before," Walsh said.

The potential for disaster -- and with the levees deteriorating and more rain falling -- prompted Cairo Mayor Judson Childs to order his city's 2,800 residents to evacuate by midnight Saturday.

"I'm here to try to protect the city of Cairo," Childs said. "I care about them and I don't want them in harm's way. I would much rather issue a mandatory evacuation and nothing happen than not to do it and people lose their life."

Meanwhile, Missouri is likewise preparing for the worst -- specifically, the immersion or other negative effects on what Nixon called "the most productive part of our continent" for farming.

About 750 National Guard personnel are in the area, with nearly 100 state police also on hand to safeguard the area and residents' property. In addition, 230 residents who were potentially in harm's way in Mississippi and New Madrid counties have been evacuated.

"The point is, if this is going to occur here, we're going to do it safely, we're going to do it an orderly fashion and we're going to do the best we can to defend it and save property where available," the governor said.

The uncertain scenario threatened to turned the lives of thousands upside down.

In Dexter, Missouri, Amanda Jones spent much of her Sunday morning in tears, bouncing from her computer to her phone and back again, pausing only to care for her sick toddler.

She and others are concerned about the economic impact on Mississippi County -- and are even more worried about the unforeseen consequences if all doesn't go according to plan and water inundates the nearby Missouri towns of New Madrid, Charleston, Wyatt and East Prairie.

Residents are being told a second levee built to protect the towns will hold, but "they really have no clue what's going to happen," Jones said. And even out of the flood plain, she said she's worried an explosion may trigger an earthquake on the New Madrid Fault, which runs through the region.

Jones posted on her Facebook page a transcript of a 1988 public meeting in which it was discussed that such a plan could go awry, as the force of the water would be uncontrollable after such a breach and the second levee cannot be guaranteed.

"As we all know too well, plans don't always go according to plan, especially when Old Man River is involved," board member Lester Goodin said, according to the transcript. "It has time after time fooled people who weren't fools, people who merely miscalculated, or failed to take into account its almost infinite variables, or used inadequate models, or out-of-date models, or mistaken assumptions."

In East Prairie, Cassie Sutton isn't waiting around to find out. Her family's bags are packed, she said Sunday. And should word be given that the levee will be blown up, they plan to head to stay with relatives about 45 minutes away.

"They did say the secondary levee will hold, but we've also never been in times like these," she said. "... I'm not willing to be the guinea pig. That's the bottom line."

Sutton said her aunt and uncle have evacuated two homes near the levee, moving out all their possessions, and are now living in a camper. "They honestly think they'll have nothing to go back to," she said, adding the Corps of Engineers has told them the water will cover their home by at least 5 or 6 feet.

The levee was breached before, in 1937. But, Jones and Sutton pointed out, the area was heavily forested then, with trees to slow the water before it reached the second levee. That forestation is no longer there, they said.

Koster's office said last week that "the flooding would leave a layer of silt on the farmland that could take as much as a generation to clear, causing significant injury to the quality of the farmland for many years."

Still, even if they don't prefer it, not everyone in the Show-Me State opposes the levee breach if it's truly a last resort.

Sutton said her family has traditionally made its living farming, but "when it comes over people's lives to farmland, I say save the lives."

"They say it's going to help Cairo, then I'm for it," she said. "But I have a feeling that will destroy Mississippi County, financially bankrupt our county."

CNN's Ashley Hayes, Bill Mears and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

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Residents watchful of levee plan

The Mississippi River overflowed its banks near Cairo, Illinois, last week.NEW: The river is continuing to riseCrews move closer to fulfilling plan to breach levee on the MississippiThe breach will flood Missouri farmland, officials say, but save an Illinois town

(CNN) -- Amanda Jones spent much of Sunday morning in tears, bouncing from her computer to her phone and back again, pausing only to care for her sick toddler.

The Dexter, Missouri, woman is nervous over plans to blow up the Birds Point-New Madrid levee on the rain-swollen Mississippi River -- a decision that has pitted Illinois against Missouri in recent days, with Missouri filing a federal lawsuit to block the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from following through on its plan.

The Corps of Engineers says the action is necessary to save the town of Cairo, Illinois, although it will flood rural Missouri farm communities. "I know that the price being paid is high," said Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh on Saturday.

A federal judge on Friday ruled against Missouri in the case, saying a 1928 law permits the breach of the levee to ease pressure on the river. As of 2 p.m. (3 p.m. ET), the gauge at Cairo -- where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi River -- stood at 59.93 feet, a record level. Flood stage is 40 feet, according to the National Weather Service

Barges containing the explosives have been moved from Kentucky to Birds Point, officials said Sunday -- a sign to residents that the breach is imminent.

The Birds Point-New Madrid Joint Information Center said on its Facebook page Sunday that Walsh has directed crews "to be prepared to move to (the) next step" in the operational plan as of Sunday afternoon. That step involves repositioning the barges at Birds Point, the information center said. If Walsh directs the plan to move forward, the next steps involve loading the explosives and priming the system, according to the posting.

In an afternoon briefing, Walsh "emphasized the historic levels at Cairo are putting pressure on the entire system like we have never seen," the joint information center posted. "We are still monitoring the entire system and the conditions."

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon plans to speak to reporters later Sunday after touring parts of the state that would be affected by the breach. More than 700 Missouri National Guard troops are on the ground in the area, "securing the homes and personal property of those who have been evacuated," Nixon's office said.

While Jones and others are concerned about the economic impact on Mississippi County, Missouri, they are even more worried about the unforeseen consequences if all doesn't go according to plan and water inundates the nearby Missouri towns of New Madrid, Charleston, Wyatt and East Prairie.

Residents are being told a second levee built to protect the towns will hold, but "they really have no clue what's going to happen," Jones said.

In East Prairie, Cassie Sutton said she isn't waiting around to find out. Her family's bags are packed, she said Sunday, and when word is given that the levee will be blown up, they plan to head to stay with relatives about 45 minutes away.

"They did say the secondary levee will hold, but we've also never been in times like these," she said. "... I'm not willing to be the guinea pig. That's the bottom line."

The plan calls for engineers to use explosives to breach the Birds Point-New Madrid levee, flooding 130,000 acres of Missouri farmland that has been designated as a flood plain. About 90 families who live in the area have already been evacuated, Missouri officials have said.

Illinois and Missouri have called out hundreds of National Guard soldiers to help evacuate communities and protect vacated communities.

"It's like we have to sit around and wait, and that really, really terrifies me," Jones said. She said her town is on a hill and not in a flood plain, but is worried about the blast triggering a possible earthquake on the New Madrid Fault, which runs through the region. "The flood might not get me, but the earthquake will," she said.

Both Jones and Sutton are closely monitoring the joint information center's Facebook page, set up to disseminate information on the issue.

But Jones said she is afraid people aren't getting the whole story. "My family lives within a couple of miles of the levee. They've not been told to evacuate ... the news around here, nobody's reporting anything. They're not telling people what could happen."

She said even if the worst-case scenario doesn't take place, people should be made aware of the possibilities.

Sutton said she believes the Joint Information Center "has been really good. I'm very grateful for that." But, she pointed out, "they just don't know" what might happen.

With more rain forecast and the deterioration of the levee, Cairo Mayor Judson Childs ordered his 2,800 residents to evacuate by midnight Saturday.

"I'm here to try to protect the city of Cairo," Childs said. "I care about them and I don't want them in harm's way. I would much rather issue a mandatory evacuation and nothing happen than not to do it and people lose their life."

Sutton said her aunt and uncle have evacuated two homes near the levee, moving out all their possessions, and are now living in a camper. "They honestly think they'll have nothing to go back to," she said, adding the Corps of Engineers has told them the water will cover their home by at least five or six feet.

They also don't know whether they will be compensated for their losses, she said, as insurance likely will not cover a "man-made disaster" such as the intentional levee breach.

Asked about the issue on Facebook Sunday, the Joint Information Center said, "We are looking at all avenues of relief and assistance with other federal and state agencies. Right now, the priority is the safety of the public and the integrity of the entire system."

Jones posted on her Facebook page a transcript of a 1988 public meeting in which it was discussed that such a plan could go awry, as the force of the water would be uncontrollable after such a breach and the second levee cannot be guaranteed.

"As we all know too well, plans don't always go according to plan, especially when Old Man River is involved," board member Lester Goodin said, according to the transcript. "It has time after time fooled people who weren't fools, people who merely miscalculated, or failed to take into account its almost infinite variables, or used inadequate models, or out-of-date models, or mistaken assumptions."

"There's a lot of questions that people are asking that they're not answering," Jones said.

Engineers have reported sand boils and seepage at a number of levees near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, a condition that Walsh said also threatens the integrity of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project -- the world's largest flood control project.

"There is water in places where we have never ever seen it before," Walsh said.

The levee was breached before, in 1937. But, Jones and Sutton pointed out, the area was heavily forested then, with trees to slow the water before it reached the second levee. That forestation is no longer there, they said. In addition, Sutton said, the explosives used are likely much more powerful today.

Engineers have warned that should the rising waters of the Mississippi River overwhelm the entire flood control project, it could deluge cities, destroy crops, destroy businesses and paralyze river transportation.

Meanwhile, Missouri residents are concerned about the economic impact on the farms and the immediate area. Jones said she believes the farmland will be rendered useless, as the flooding will deposit sand and remove the top few layers of soil.

Sutton said her family has traditionally made its living farming, but "when it comes over people's lives to farmland, I say save the lives."

"They say it's going to help Cairo, then I'm for it," she said. "But I have a feeling that will destroy Mississippi County, financially bankrupt our county," where the main source of income is farming.

"It's going to be a sad, horrible thing to watch," she said.

CNN's Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

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