Photo Credit: Caitlin Mirra/ShutterShock

Text Size:

May 13, 2011

Melanie Delhome, a resident of Tunica, Mississippi, was forced from her home by the rising Mississippi River waters and is forced to wait as the flood reaches closer to her home's roof.

"When we left, the water was just rising," Delhome said to Robert Siegel on NPR. "Our camp is always the last one to flood. But when it did start flooding, it went fast."

She has been gone from home for two weeks and has been relocated to an emergency shelter. Recently she saw photographs that depicted her home, which is all paid off, almost totally submerged.

The American South has taken a beating from natural disasters in the past few years: Hurricane Katrina, horrible tornado outbreaks, and now wide-spread flooding of the Mississippi.

"What can we do to catch a break?" asked Wayne Mansfield, director of the Warren County Port Commission and the Warren County Economic Development Foundation, based in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Survivors Forced to Flee

Up and down the Mississippi, families have been forced to flee their homes as the flood waters breach the man-made levees and flow into towns destroying homes and livelihoods. The water levels nearly matched record highs as they swept through Memphis, Tennessee. The flood is expected to flow all the way to the Delta in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of next week, reports Metro.

Mississippi state governor Haley Barbour warned residents that if the levee of the Yazoo River - which runs parallel to the Mississippi - breaks, then up to 100ft of flood waters could flow over into the small towns.

"More than anything else, save your life and don’t put at risk other people who might have to save your lives," Barbour said.

President Obama Will Visit Memphis to Support Flood Survivors

On Monday, President Barack Obama will meet with flood survivors and their families when he travels to Memphis. He will gather with emergency first responders and state and local officials to listen to their complaints and provide support.

Obama has declared Memphis, Shelby and other surrounding counties disaster areas, making them eligible for federal aid and low interest loans, reports The Washington Post.

Community Support

In response to the floods, one couple tries to build community support for those surviving the floods in Vicksburg.

Janice and Ronnie Tyler are using their printing shop to make flood survivor T-shirts, reports Daily Journal.

One shirt has the slogan, "I (heart) Vicksburg Sandbaggers," with "Flood 2011" printed within the red heart.

Another depicts the town's train depot submerged in flood water. The slogan, "Mississippi River Flood Survivor 2011 Vicksburg," surrounds the photo.

Comments / Post a comment