Flood Stage

The snow melt and heavy rains upriver in the midwest have sent a huge bulge of water our way. Crest is expected on the 16th of April, and unless a spillway to our south is opened, it stands now to top the levee. I doubt that will be allowed to happen, but it's dramatic to think about.

This is an event that happens about once a decade, maybe a little more often in the latter part of the last 100 years. Back in 1997, some of Baton Rouge flooded, although I am happy to learn that my neighborhood (although less than a mile from the levee) remained dry.

Here are a couple pictures I took a while back from the top of the levee near the Louisiana State University campus. Note the first picture faces north; that same view is shown at the end of the second video (but with considerably more water present!)








Here's one from today, facing south.





Here are are couple short movies from earlier this afternoon. Note B's description of where the bank used to be (see second photo for example). The second video is a panoramic view of what would be underwater today without the 40 foot levee.