Introduction
Past Floods in the
Lower Mississippi Valley
The Great Flood of 1927
The MR&T Project
Spillway Site Selection
Design Advances
Spillway Operation
Spillway Operational Effects
Natural Resource Values
Environmental Values
Cultural Resource Values
Recreational Values
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The false sense of security in the Lower Mississippi Valley vanished in the flood of 1927, a natural disaster of great proportions. This tremendous flood extended over nearly 26,000 square miles, killed more than 500 people and drove more than 700,000 people from their homes. Thirteen crevasses in the main Mississippi River levees occurred, demonstrating that even the largest and strongest levees would not alone protect from flooding.
| Domestic animals huddle on the remaining levee crests in the submerged town of Bordelonville, LA during the flood of 1927. |
With Mississippi River Commission approval, Govenor Simpson gave the "go ahead" to dynamite the Caernarvon levee below New Orleans. This action created an artificial crevasse to relieve the 1927 flood waters. The effort not only saved the city of New Orleans, it also blew away the "levee only" flood control policy of the Mississippi River Commission.
Contact
Kathy Gibbs, CEMVN-PA
Chief, Public Affairs Office
New Orleans, LA
504-862-2201
Kathy.Gibbs@usace.army.mil
Updated May 18, 2005
