Mississippi River floods, residents evacuated

Memphis police officers were in full force as they knocked on the doors of about 1,000 homes today to instruct Tennessee residents to evacuate. The reason: the Mississippi River and its tributaries are expected to inundate area homes and businesses with near-record flooding. The predicted floods are likely to affect the states of Missouri, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, where White River-area residents also received evacuation orders.

According to MSNBC, emergency workers in Tenn. handed out bilingual fliers to residents that say, “Evacuate!!! Your property is in danger right now.” While experts state that this round of flooding will not cause as much devastation as the flooding disasters of the 1930s, they are starting early on the evacuation procedures. MSNBC reports that the river will crest on Wednesday, May 11, 2011, but the flooding could last a couple of weeks. Residents wanting more information and those who are in need of transportation or shelter should call (901) 324-8799 or text (901)-290-7530. Officials expect that the recovery from flooding could take several weeks for homes and businesses.

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