Mississippi Delta sees flooding from mighty river

The Mississippi River drew to within a finger's length of the highest level ever recorded at Greenville, Mississippi, Tuesday as a flood of historic proportions continued to slink its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Unlike 1927, when that record was set with a towering 65.4 feet of water, levees protecting the city appeared to be holding, as they so far have the length of the lower Mississippi, officials said.

A few minor sinkholes have popped up around the Greenville area, but the local levee board has quickly patched them up, Mytries Sutton of the Washington County Emergency Management Agency said Tuesday.


By the weekend, flood waters are expected to peak at record levels in Vicksburg and Natchez, Mississippi, as well as in Red River Landing and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to the National Weather Service.

[link to edition.cnn.com]