Mississippi flood powerpoint

   

Mississippi flood 2011

The disaster of 2011

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Why Floods Happen?

All the water in the basin funnels to the mouth of the river and onto the ocean. But if it rains too much upstream, flow rates go up, and because water moves slowly it accumulates in the low areas downstream.

The Mississippi River Drainage Basin

The Mississippi River Drainage Basin is the largest in the US, with over 2.98 mn sq km. Within this area, all the water funnels down to the Mississippi Delta.

What happened? And why?

The flood occurred on 2011 from late April to May. There was a combination of four major storms between April 14th and April 28th, when river levels were already high due to the effect of snow melting.

The water accumulated and the flood was declared between May 4th and June 20th. It was one of the highest floods in the history of the river.

Consequences:

• US$ 2.8 billion in damages
• Evacuation of 24,500 houses
• Over 25,000 houses destroyed
• Over 400 deaths in the flood and in preceding storms
• 1.2 million acres of farmland soaked up

Story: Pat Jorgensen

 I live in east Memphis but I have been going down to Riverside Drive in downtown to see the rising water levels. I feel it's important for me to go and document this because the water is the highest I have ever seen.

The flooding has been fairly well contained and so the numbers of homes that have been submerged are a lot less than they could have been.

I think it's because of the floodwalls that they put in place after the record February 1937 waters. They are working as they were intended - and that's reassuring to know.

The floods have been dramatic. There are boats floating above eye-level. The atmosphere has been rather subdued. People are just in awe of how high the river has become.

Media

NOAA:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ju1boh5bq8

Damage to Farms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ73Z-d6svw

Bibliography and Research Resources

Encyclopedia.Britannica.Online.Mississippi River flood of 2011 | American history.Encyclopedia Britannica.September 22, 2015 web.

Wikipedia on 2011 Flood, Mississippi River and Drainage Basins

TheFreeDictionary.com.Mississippi, United State September 25, 2015

• Ohio DSWR Floodplain Management ProgramOhio.gov / search: September 25, 2015