Mississippi 

River 

Commission 

2011 MR&T 

Flood Report 

Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh 

President 

Maj. Gen. John W. Peabody 

Member-Designee 

Brig. Gen. John R. McMahon 

Member-Designee 

Rear Adm. Jonathan W. Bailey 

Member 

Hon. Wm. Clifford Smith 

Member-Designee 

Hon. R. D. James 

Member 

Hon. Sam E. Angel 

Member 

Listening, Inspecting, Partnering & Engineering since 1879 

Revised January 2012
2 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

Following the Great Mississippi River 

Flood of 1927, the nation galvanized its 

support for a comprehensive and unified 

system of public works. In the lower 

Mississippi Valley it would provide 

enhanced protection from floods while 

maintaining a mutually compatible and 

efficient Mississippi River channel for 

navigation. 

 

Administered by the Mississippi River 

Commission under the supervision of the 

Office of the Chief of Engineers, the 

resultant Mississippi River and 

Tributaries (MR&T) project 

employs a variety of intensely 

managed engineering 

techniques, including an 

extensive levee system to 

prevent disastrous overflows on 

developed alluvial lands; 

floodways to safely divert excess 

flows past critical reaches so that 

the levee system will not be 

unduly stressed; channel 

improvements and stabilization 

features to protect the integrity of 

flood control measures and to 

ensure proper alignment and 

depth of the navigation channel; 

and tributary basin 

improvements, to include levees, 

reservoirs and pumping stations, 

that maximize the benefits 

realized on the main stem by 

expanding flood protection 

coverage and improving drainage 

into adjacent areas within the 

alluvial valley. 

 

Since its initiation, the MR&T 

project has brought an 

unprecedented degree of flood protection 

to over 4.5 million people living in the 

35,000 square-mile project area within the 

lower Mississippi Valley. The nation has 

contributed $13.9 billion toward the 

planning, construction, operation and 

maintenance of the project and, to date, the 

nation has received a 34 to 1 return on that 

investment, including $350 billion in flood 

damages prevented. Such astounding 

figures place the MR&T project among the 

most successful and cost-effective public 

works projects in the history of the United 

States. 
3 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

The success of the MR&T flood 

control program is rooted in a 

profound change in engineering 

policy that evolved after the 1927 

flood. Prior to that tragic flood 

event, the control of floods on the 

lower Mississippi was attempted 

by building levees high enough to 

withstand the last great flood of 

record. 

 

Since the inception of the MR&T 

project in 1928, however, the 

comprehensive flood control 

program is designed to control the 

“project design flood” through the 

combined use of levees, floodways, 

channel improvements, backwater areas 

and reservoirs. 

 

The performance of the comprehensive 

Mississippi River and 

Tributaries system and the 

Ohio Valley reservoir 

system during the 2011 

flood on the lower 

Mississippi River validates 

the wise investment the 

nation made to prevent 

another calamitous natural 

disaster like the 1927 

flood—the devastating 

event that changed 

America and forcibly 

unified its people to 

support protection of 

lives and property from 

the fury of the river. The 

MR&T system performed 

as designed, despite 

rainfall exceeding 600 to 

1,000 percent of the 

normal average rainfall in a two-week 

period from April 21-May 3 over a 

significant portion of six states that 

coincided with the arrival of the upper 

Mississippi spring snowmelt crest. The 

significant flood event 

established many new 

record discharges and 

stages along the lower 

Ohio and Mississippi 

rivers. 

 

Unlike the 2011 flood, the 

Mississippi River during 

the benchmark and 

calamitous Great Flood of 

1927 inundated most of 

the alluvial valley. Like the 

toppling of a series of 

dominoes, one overmatched levee after 

another burst under the 

unprecedented pressure 

exerted by the swollen 

river. 

Mainline levee north of Vicksburg, Miss. Mainline levee north of Vicksburg, Miss.
4 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

The resultant chocolate tide 

swept over and inundated 

more than16 million acres in 

the valley, causing up to 500 

people to lose their lives, with 

another 600,000 seeking 

shelter in Red Cross refugee 

camps. More than 41,000 

buildings were obliterated. 

Rail lines were severed; eastwest communications, the 

postal service and commerce 

were left in shambles. This 

was not the case in 2011 as 

the MR&T project confined 

the river to natural and 

designated overflow areas, 

while protecting more than 10 

million acres of land and 

nearly one million structures 

while preventing more than 

$110 billion in damages. 

 

The success of the 

comprehensive MR&T 

system during the 2011 flood 

is rooted in the lessons 

learned during the 1927 

tragedy. Perhaps the most 

important lesson was the 

necessity to accommodate 

room for the Mississippi River by not 

attempting to exclude it entirely from its 

natural floodplain. 

 The nation implemented the floodway and 

backwater features of the MR&T system for 

this very purpose—to accommodate the 

natural tendency of the river during periods 

of extraordinary floods. At no time in the 

MR&T project’s history has this been more 

evident than this recent mammoth flood. 

For the first time, the Mississippi River 

Commission placed three floodways in 

simultaneous operation to help relieve the 

enormous stress on the much-improved 

levee system and to reduce the danger to 

people, their homes and the businesses 

that bolster our economy. 

Channel improvements carried out since 

the 1930s also served as a critical 

component of the comprehensive flood 
5 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

control system during the 2011 flood event. 

From Memphis to Vicksburg, the continued 

flood control benefit of the channel 

improvement program allowed flood crests 

to stay well below prior record levels 

despite flows near or above those 

experienced during the 1927 and 1937 

floods. 

 

Likewise, the extensive system of 78 Corps 

reservoirs and 40 Tennessee Valley 

Authority reservoirs in the Ohio basin 

provide additional flood protection. During 

floods on the lower Ohio and Mississippi 

rivers, the member of the 

commission who serves as 

Commander of the Great Lakes 

and Ohio River Division (LRD) 

directs the operation of 

reservoirs, particularly at 

Kentucky and Barkley lakes, 

with the primary objective of 

preserving and protecting the 

MR&T levee system. 

 

The Mississippi River 

Commission convened to 

monitor the flood conditions 

and oversee the management of the MR&T 

system from April 27 through May 25. 

The members of the commission during the 

historic flood event were: 

· Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, President of 

the Mississippi River Commission 

· Hon. Sam E. Angel 

· Hon. R. D. James, civil engineer 

· Hon. William Clifford Smith, civil engineer 

· Rear Adm. Jonathan Bailey, National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

· Maj. Gen. John W. Peabody, 

Commander, Great Lakes and Ohio River 

Division 

· Brig. Gen. John McMahon, Commander, 

Northwestern Division 

Col. George T. Shepard served as 

Secretary of the Commission, which is a 

non-voting position. 

Near Birds Point Near Birds Point-New Madrid floodway New Madrid floodway

Inspection of access wells at Inspection of access wells at 

Birds Point Birds Point-New Madrid floodway New Madrid floodway
6 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

On April 21, the Cairo gage reached the 

moderate flood stage of 50 feet. Bill 

Frederick, the MRC meteorologist, 

informed the commission staff that the 

National Weather Service expected a 

frontal system to become stationary over 

the Ohio, middle Mississippi and Arkansas 

valleys through April 27, with daily rounds 

of moderate to heavy rains anticipated. 

Based on the current stages and expected 

precipitation, NWS models suggested more 

than a 10-foot rise in the river on the Cairo 

gage, with a crest exceeding 61 feet on 

May 4. The commission engineers 

recognized that if this forecast materialized, 

the river stages would be in the range that 

might require the activation of the Birds 

Point-New Madrid floodway. The 

Mississippi Valley Division activated its 

Emergency Operations Center while the 

commission staff disseminated preprepared technical information papers to 

the commission members, Corps of 

Engineers leaders, elected officials and key 

stakeholders that provided the historical 

context of the Birds Point-New Madrid 

floodway and how the MR&T project 

conveys the project design flood. (For 

copies of the papers, please see http://

www.mvd.usace.army.mil/mrc/

index.php. ) 

 

By April 25, the river rapidly climbed 

past 55 feet on the Cairo gage and 

continued to rise. Col. Vernie Reichling, 

the Memphis District Commander, 

ordered his crews to load the pump 

barges with the necessary explosives 

to activate the floodway. The 

commission began making 

arrangements to mobilize for a flyover 

of southeast Missouri, southern Illinois 

and western Kentucky and Tennessee 

and setting up meetings with key 

stakeholders in the multi-state region. The 

following day, Maj. Gen. Walsh ordered the 

movement of the barges to Hickman 

Harbor and movement of the land-based 

crews to the floodway. 

On April 26, Maj. Gen. Peabody directed 

that the Cumberland and Tennessee river 

reservoirs reduce outflows to nearly zero to 

hold water back from Kentucky and Barkley 

lakes. 

Overflight of impacted areas Overflight of impacted areas

Birds Point Birds Point-New 

Madrid frontline levee Madrid frontline levee
7 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

 On April 27, the river surpassed 58 feet on 

the Cairo gage. The MRC meteorologist 

notified the commission that he expected 

the torrential rains of the past week to end 

for a period of two to three days. The 

storms during that period dropped in 

excess of eight inches of precipitation at 

Tiptonville, Tenn., nine inches at Cairo, 10 

inches at New Madrid, 11 at Poplar Bluff, 

Mo. and Paducah, Ky., and 13 at 

Greenville, Mo. Taking advantage of the 

break in the weather, the commission 

conducted an over flight of the impacted 

areas. The commission 

witnessed widespread rainwater 

and backwater flooding over the 

Little River drainage area and 

St. John’s Bayou in Missouri and 

proceeded to the Birds PointNew Madrid floodway. The 

commission observed high 

water against the riverside of the 

frontline levee for its entire 

length and obtained a clear 

aerial view of the fuse plug levee 

section. 

Severe backwater flooding was evident at 

the lower end of the floodway, as was 

rainwater flooding in the upper end. The 

flight proceeded to Kentucky and Barkley 

lakes. From the air, the commission noted 

that lake levels were extremely high and 

that LRD water managers were doing all 

that they could do to hold back water to 

keep stages on the Cairo gage from rising 

even more rapidly than they actually were. 

On the return trip, the commission flew 

over Cairo. Floodwaters had turned the 

city into a virtual island with only a narrow 

neck of land along Illinois Route 3 

remaining as an evacuation route. The 

commission ended the trip by flying the 

length of the Commerce to Birds Point 

levee to view the extent of flooding on the 

Mississippi River above Cairo. That same 

day, the commission and Col. Reichling 

attended an intense public meeting at East 

Prairie, Mo., located just west of the 

floodway on the landside of the setback 

levee. U.S. Congresswoman Jo Ann 

Emerson (MO-8) hosted the meeting. 

Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder and 

Thomas Shulte, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt’s 

Chief of Staff attended the meeting, as did 

more than 50 members of the public. 

East Prairie public meeting East Prairie public meeting

Cairo mega boil Cairo mega boil
8 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

Most in attendance opposed the activation 

of the floodway, with the integrity of the 

setback levee being the overriding 

concern. 

Following the public meeting, the 

commission traveled to the frontline levee 

and received an on-the-levee briefing from 

Memphis District and ERDC personnel 

preparing the site for potential activation. 

 Dry conditions over the afflicted area on 

April 28-29 allowed for a brief period of 

guarded optimism that the water 

management practices might preclude 

activation of the floodway. LRD water 

managers began storing water in Kentucky 

and Barkley lakes and the rate of rise in the 

river at the Cairo gage slowed considerably 

and hovered around 59 feet, just shy of the 

record stage of 59.51 reached in 1937. 

Despite this, the commission and Memphis 

District continued preparations. 

 

On April 28, the survey and hired labor 

crews located, uncovered and prepared all 

access wells on the frontline levee in the 

event activation of the floodway became 

necessary. Commission and district 

personnel also reported to the U.S. 

Courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Mo., after a 

federal judge indicated he would hear 

testimony on a temporary restraining order 

filed by the State of Missouri 

to prevent use of the 

floodway. The court denied 

the order on April 29, as did 

the 8th Circuit appellate court 

on April 30 and the U.S. 

Supreme Court on May 1. 

 

On April 30, Maj. Gen. 

Walsh established 

OPERATION WATERSHED 

as the river continued its 

slow rise on the Cairo gage, 

reaching 59.1 at 6:00 a.m. 

with a forecasted crest of 

60.5 on May 3. Even though 

the rate of ascent has slowed, the 

tremendous pressure from the swollen river 

continued its assault on the levee system 

in the vicinity. 

 

Three “mega boils” discovered near the 

floodwall in Cairo—the largest boils ever 

witnessed by experienced geotechnical 

engineers—caused great concern for the 

integrity of the Cairo floodwall and led the 

Corps to advise the city to consider issuing 

an evacuation order. 

 

Memphis District personnel also provided a 

dire engineering assessment of conditions 

at the mainline levee along the Kentucky 

and Tennessee borders with the 

Mississippi, particularly the Hickman and 

Reelfoot-Obion sectors, as numerous boils 

that were piping material continued to 

develop despite intense flood fighting 

On-site briefing at Cairo site briefing at Cairo
9 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

efforts. The grave assessment of stress on 

the system was compounded by the latest 

weather reports that called for a frontal 

system to become stationary along the 

Ohio River valley through May 2 that would 

produce up to 7.5 inches of rain. The 

commission and its engineers, along with 

personnel from LRD, conducted another 

aerial assessment of the afflicted areas 

along southeast Missouri, southern Illinois 

and western Kentucky and Tennessee. 

 

Maj. Gen. Peabody initiated stabilization of 

the pools at Kentucky and Barkley lakes to 

conserve storage for this final rain event. 

Pool levels approached 370 feet — close 

to the all-time record. 

 

The additional localized rainfall on April 30 

caused a spike in flood levels, pushing the 

river past the previous 1937 record on the 

Cairo gage in the early hours of May 1. 

Later that morning Col. Reichling briefed 

the commission at the Cape Girardeau 

Airport regarding floodway activation. After 

explaining the conditions on the river and 

the levee system flanking it were 

deteriorating rapidly, 

Col. Reichling expressed his view that 

floodway activation was no longer a matter 

of “if” but “when” and 

recommended the 

commission allow him to 

move to hour minus 3 in the 

Birds Point-New Madrid 

operating plan, which 

equated to moving the 

barges into place, pumping 

explosives into the pipes 

and holding. Maj. Gen. 

Walsh took the 

recommendation under 

advisement and traveled 

with the commission to 

Cairo to examine conditions 

and flood fight efforts at the beleaguered 

city. 

 

By the early afternoon, additional heavy 

rains continued to push river stages higher. 

The NWS predicted another three to five 

inches of rain over the following 24 hours. 

The Memphis District water control office 

Press briefing Press briefing

Birds Point Birds Point-New Madrid levee pipe New Madrid levee pipe
10 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

indicated that the river would surpass 60 

feet on the Cairo gage within hours and 

that the storage capacities at Kentucky and 

Barkley lakes were predicted to reach their 

limits. Systems analyses provided by the 

district also showed rapid deterioration at 

the Cairo, Hickman, Reelfoot-Obion and 

Caruthersville sectors. All ten sectors in the 

Memphis District had reached, or were on 

the cusp of reaching, phase II flood fight 

activities. Armed with this knowledge, Maj. 

Gen. Walsh approved Col. Reichling’s 

recommendation to move to hour minus 3, 

proceeded to notify the governors and 

congressional delegations from 

Missouri and Illinois of his decision and, 

along with the commission, held a joint 

press conference with Missouri 

Governor Jay Nixon at 6:00 p.m. at 

Birds Point to notify the media and 

public. 

 

The commission established its 

operations center aboard the Motor 

Vessel MISSISSIPPI on the night of 

May 1. That evening, the commission 

learned that intense overnight storms, 

accompanied by severe lightning, 

prevented the task force responsible for 

preparing the floodway for possible 

activation from making any headway 

toward hour minus 3 in the operating plan. 

The MRC meteorologist informed the 

commission that more localized rainfall 

than expected fell overnight and that 

another one to four inches was expected 

over the following 24 hours. 

At 6:00 a.m. the river reached 60.97 on the 

Cairo gage with a forecasted crest of 63 

feet on May 5. Col. Reichling, however, 

informed the commission in the morning 

that the task force remained optimistic that 

it could still fulfill its objective. 

Throughout the day levee/floodwall 

conditions continued to deteriorate at 

Cairo, Hickman, Fulton County and 

Caruthersville as the high water levels 

exerted unprecedented pressure on the 

system. Despite continued rains, wind and 

cold temperatures, the task force continued 

to race the rapidly rising river and prepared 

the floodway for activation. 

Maj. Gen. Walsh began notifying elected 

officials from Missouri and Illinois that he 

We remember God's Word ...I John 1:9 "If we confess our 

sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to 

cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Father, in a time like 

this when we don't know what to pray we ask for you to 

intercede for us and for all the people who will be helped 

and harmed by the results of the actions we take. We 

acknowledge that You are the only One who can forgive 

sin, restore hope and truly help. In Jesus strong Name we 

pray, Amen.

— Prayer led by Stephen Gambrell for the 

Mississippi River Commission on May 2 

just prior to operation of the floodway. 

Birds Point Birds Point-New Madrid New Madrid 

floodway activation. 1st blast floodway activation. 1st blast
11 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

intended to approve operation of the 

floodway once the task force completed its 

mission. Maj. Gen. Peabody did the same 

with the governors of Kentucky and Indiana, 

and the Memphis District notified elected 

officials in Tennessee and all other 

stakeholders. At 5:00 p.m. the commission 

held a second joint news conference with 

Governor Nixon to make 

public Maj. Gen. Walsh’s 

decision to operate the 

floodway. 

At 10:00 p.m., with the river 

at the Cairo gage reading 

61.72, Walsh and the 

commission members gave 

the order to activate the 

floodway. 

 

Within an hour the river, 

which had been rising at a 

rapid clip up to the point of 

floodway activation, had 

dropped by one-half a foot on 

the Cairo gage. By 11:00 

a.m. on May 3, the reading was 60.32 feet. 

The commission remained in New Madrid 

to observe the opening of Inflow/Outflow 

Crevasse No. 2 at the lower end of the 

floodway. Immediately afterwards, the 

commission conducted an aerial inspection 

of the floodway and other afflicted sectors 

aboard a Blackhawk helicopter. 

 

Just hours prior to the operation of the Birds 

Point-New Madrid floodway on May 2, the 

MRC meteorologist informed the 

commission that the NWS had released a 

preliminary forecast for the lower 

Mississippi River, which called for record 

stages at Vicksburg, Natchez and Red 

River Landing. Within days, all sectors in 

both districts were in phase II flood fight 

operations along the Mississippi River. 

 On May 3, Col. Jeffrey Eckstein, the 

Vicksburg District Commander, informed 

the commission that projected stages 

would overtop the Yazoo backwater levee 

and that the district was constructing a 

water berm at Buck Chute (near Eagle 

Lake, Miss.) to combat excessive 

underseepage and sand boils along the 

mainline levee. He also passed on the 

Vidalia, La., mayor’s concern that the 

projected stage might lead to an 

evacuation of the town. 

Col. Edward Fleming, the New Orleans 

District Commander, notified the 

commission that based on current 

forecasts, his water control personnel 

predicted that the river would reach the 

1.25 million cubic feet per second (cfs) 

trigger for operation of the Bonnet Carré 

Spillway on May 8 and the 1.5 million cfs 

Entergy sub Entergy sub-station, West Memphis, Ark. station, West Memphis, Ark.
12 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

trigger for operation of the Morganza 

floodway on May 11. 

 

By May 4, river levels on the Cairo gage 

dropped below 60 feet and flood fight 

teams in the Memphis District began 

reporting that conditions in all sectors, 

while still grave, had stabilized. The 

commission conducted another aerial 

assessment of the floodway, Cairo, 

Kentucky and Barkley lakes, St. John’s 

Bayou and Fulton County before flying over 

Wappapello Lake, which had received in 

excess of 20 inches of rain spanning the 

previous two weeks, causing lake levels to 

crest at a record elevation of 400.4 and 

overtop the emergency spillway on May 2. 

From there, the commission flew over the 

St. Francis basin and the White River 

backwater area before advancing to the 

W.G. Huxtable Pumping Plant in the St. 

Francis backwater area, where Steve 

Higginbothom and Rob Rash of the St. 

Francis Levee District of Arkansas gave a 

status report of flood fight operations in 

their area. 

 

On May 4, Col. Eckstein informed the 

commission that Mississippi Governor 

Haley Barbour was putting together a task 

force with Mississippi National Guard 

resources to assist the Vicksburg District. 

He also notified the commission that state 

and local stakeholders were preparing to 

ask the district to armor a four-mile stretch 

of the Yazoo backwater levee and wanted 

permission to flood fight the area to prevent 

inundation of the backwater area. Maj. 

Gen. Walsh indicated that the commission 

needed to be informed of the impacts of 

flood fighting at the backwater area on the 

Vidalia, La. Vidalia, La.

Huxtable pumping plant Huxtable pumping plant
13 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

system before it could reach a decision. 

Later that evening, Col Eckstein briefed the 

commission on how the backwater area 

operates during flood conditions. Eckstein 

explained that if the levee overtopped at 

the projected crest, more than 286,000 

acres would flood, but if the levee failed, 

more than 1.2 million acres would flood, 

thereby impacting 2,000 people who live in 

the area. 

For this reason Eckstein stated that 

armoring the backwater levee was 

necessary to prevent levee failure from 

erosion in the event of overtopping. Maj. 

Gen. Walsh approved Eckstein’s 

recommendation to flood fight to the 

authorized elevation of 107 feet and to 

protect the backside of the levee against 

erosion. 

 

That same day, the commission gathered 

on the MV MISSISSIPPI to receive a 

briefing from Col. Fleming on the possible 

activation of the Morganza floodway. Prior 

to the briefing, Maj. Gen. Walsh informed 

Fleming that the commission had received 

his formal request to operate the Bonnet 

Carré Spillway and that the commission 

had his recommendation under 

advisement. Fleming proceeded into his 

discussion of the Morganza 

floodway, which had only 

operated once—during the 

1973 flood—since its 

completion in 1953. With a 

flow of 2.5 million cfs 

forecasted at the latitude of 

Old River, Fleming 

informed the commission 

that anywhere from 

200,000 to 300,000 cfs 

would need to be diverted 

through the Morganza 

floodway (600,000 cfs 

capacity) to ensure the 

integrity of the levee system throughout the 

lower reaches of the Mississippi River at 

and below Old River. 

Fleming provided the commission with an 

inundation map and indicated his plans to 

meet with the Louisiana governor, parish 

presidents, levee boards and stakeholders 

Opening of inflow/outflow crevasse No. 2 Opening of inflow/outflow crevasse No. 2

Opening of Bonnet Carré Opening of Bonnet Carré
14 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

on May 5 to discuss trigger points and the 

possibility of floodway activation. 

 

On May 5—the date the river was 

forecasted to crest above 63 feet on the 

Cairo gage with activation of the Birds 

Point-New Madrid floodway—the river had 

dropped to 59.5 feet. 

The MRC 

meteorologist 

notified the 

commission 

that floodway 

operation 

had knocked 

the crest at 

Cairo down 

by 3.55 feet, 

at Paducah 

by 3.52 feet 

and at Cape 

Girardeau by 

2.5 feet. 

Later reports from LRD showed that the 

Cairo gage would have hit 66.73 feet 

without floodway activation and water 

management operations at Kentucky and 

Barkley lakes. Such stages would have led 

to the overtopping of the levee systems at 

Commerce, Cairo, Hickman and Fulton 

County. 

 

Col. Eckstein informed the commission that 

he had notified the Mississippi governor of 

the decision not to flood fight at the Yazoo 

backwater levee (which is outside the 

MR&T project footprint) above the 

authorized elevation of 107 feet in order to 

protect the levees downstream at Vidalia. 

Maj. Gen. Walsh advised the New Orleans 

District that the commission voted 

unanimously in favor of operating the 

Bonnet Carré Spillway as needed. He then 

proceeded to make the necessary contacts 

in Louisiana and Mississippi to apprise 

them of the decision to operate the spillway 

when conditions dictated. Following the 

morning briefing, the commission observed 

the execution of the final component of the 

Birds Point-New Madrid floodway—the 

opening of Inflow/Outflow Crevasse No. 1. 

 After a brief 

site visit to 

observe flood 

fight activities 

at 

Caruthersville, 

the 

commission 

departed the 

Memphis 

District area of 

operations and 

traveled to the 

Mississippi 

River 

Commission headquarters in Vicksburg. 

 

On May 8, the commission traveled to New 

Orleans in anticipation of the opening of 

the Bonnet Carré Spillway. On the morning 

of May 9, the members oversaw the 

opening of 10 bays at the structure and 

then inspected river conditions at Baton 

Rouge, Morganza and Old River before 

driving the west mainline levee back to 

Vidalia and returning to Vicksburg. 

 

Col. Reichling reported to the commission 

during the May 10 morning briefing that 

levee overtopping was no longer a concern 

anywhere in the Memphis District, while 

Col. Fleming reported that the river was 

less than four feet from the top of the gates 

MRC with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon MRC with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon
15 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

at the Morganza Floodway. Dennis Norris, 

the MRC operations chief, also reported 

that the flood stages at the Old River 

Lock—the only viable route from the Red 

and Ouachita rivers to the Mississippi 

River—would force closure of the structure 

on May 12 through approximately June 1. 

Later that morning the commission and 

Col. Eckstein boarded a Blackhawk 

helicopter to conduct an aerial assessment 

of the mainline levees in the vicinity of 

Vicksburg, the Buck Chute water berm and 

the Yazoo backwater area, and landed on 

the Yazoo backwater levee to inspect the 

ongoing effort to armor the levee. While on 

the over flight, the commission members 

observed the MR&T project working as 

designed as water reached high on the 

mainline levees in Louisiana and 

Mississippi, but the surrounding towns, 

planted agricultural fields and Interstate 20 

remained protected on the landside of the 

levee system in drought-like conditions. 

 

On May 12, the commission traveled to 

Cape Girardeau where Maj. Gen. Walsh 

provided a total MR&T systems brief to the 

Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Assistant 

Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and 

Maj. Gen. William Grisoli, the Deputy 

Commanding General for Civil and 

Emergency Operations. During the briefing, 

Walsh explained how the MR&T project 

conveys the project design flood and 

described the various elements of 

OPERATION WATERSHED—current 

operations, future operations and recovery. 

Following the briefing, the entire contingent 

conducted an aerial and ground tour of 

Cairo, the Birds Point-New Madrid 

floodway and the Fulton County sector. 

 

During the morning briefing on May 13, the 

MRC staff reported that the flood crest had 

passed through the entire Memphis 

District, but was approaching the Vicksburg 

District area of operations. Forecasts 

indicated that the Mississippi River would 

set a record high water mark on the 

Vicksburg gage within 24 hours. 

Col. Eckstein reported new underseepage 

problems at Rosedale and informed the 

commission that an abandoned MR&T 

levee across the river from Mayersville, 

Miss., overtopped at Wilson Point. Col. 

Fleming informed the commission that the 

Opening of Morganza Opening of Morganza 

Floodway Floodway

MRC commissioner Clifford Smith and MRC commissioner Clifford Smith and 

Captain Todd Mainwaring Captain Todd Mainwaring
16 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

river was 1.4 feet from overtopping the 

gates at the Morganza Floodway and that 

he was prepared to activate the floodway 

upon order of the commission President. 

Following the briefing, Maj. Gen. Walsh 

called U.S. Senators David Vitter and Mary 

Landrieu and Louisiana Governor Bobby 

Jindal to discuss conditions at Morganza, 

while Col. Shepard, the MRC Secretary, 

did the same with U.S. Congressman Jeff 

Landry (LA-3). That afternoon, the 

commission boarded the MV MISSISSIPPI 

and hosted a press conference at the 

Vicksburg riverfront. 

Following the press conference, the 

commission and the MV MISSISSIPPI 

embarked for Baton Rouge. While in 

transit, Maj. Gen. Walsh directed Col. 

Fleming to be prepared to activate the 

Morganza floodway within 24 hours and 

then immediately notified the Louisiana 

governor, the U.S. senators and Maj. Gen. 

Grisoli of his order. 

On May 14, the commission held its 

morning briefing on the MV MISSISSIPPI 

and then immediately departed for the 

main office at the Morganza Floodway, 

where Col. Fleming and his staff provided a 

decision brief. After describing the intense 

pressure the flood was exerting on 

the system in his area of 

operations, to include a new 

record stage at Red River 

Landing, Fleming requested 

permission to open the floodway 

at 3:00 p.m. 

 

The commission members present 

unanimously concurred with 

Fleming’s recommendation and 

Maj. Gen. Walsh gave the order to 

operate. After observing the 

raising of one gate at the 

floodway, the commission 

inspected the Pointe Coupee 

Loop—a highly productive 

agricultural area protected by a ring levee. 

The commission then inspected conditions 

at the Old River control structure before 

returning to the MV MISSISSIPPI at Baton 

Rouge. 

 

The commission spent May 15 in the 

vicinity of Morgan City, an area at the lower 

end of the Atchafalaya basin affected by 

the opening of the Morganza structure. 

The commission met with New Orleans 

District personnel who were working with 

local partners to provide them with the 

necessary resources to address gaps in 

the system. After a brief inspection of the 

Morgan City floodwall, the commission 

traveled to Amelia, La., where it boarded 

boats to observe ongoing emergency 

Natchez, Miss. Natchez, Miss.
17 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

operations to prevent Atchafalaya 

backwater from flooding Bayou Chene. 

Bill Hildago, of the St. Mary Parish Levee 

District, explained the process of creating a 

makeshift dam through the sinking of 

barges and the use of sheet pile and rock 

to block the backflow of the Atchafalaya 

into the bayou. 

Following the site visit, the commission 

held a town hall meeting in Morgan City 

with Mayors Tim Matte (Morgan City) and 

Louis Ratcliffe (Berwick), the parish 

presidents of St. Martin and St. Mary, 

members of the river transportation 

industry and representatives from the 

Chitimache Nation. 

The commission then traveled to Houma 

and met with stakeholders and local 

elected officials from Terrebonne Parish. 

On May 16, the commission briefed U.S. 

Congressmen John Fleming (LA-4) and 

Steve Chabot (OH-1) on the ongoing flood 

situation and provided guidance on what 

needed to be done to reset and restore the 

MR&T system after the flood subsided. The 

commission travelled to Natchez and 

Vidalia to observe flood fight activities and 

to meet with local elected officials and city 

engineers to gage their concerns. As he 

returned to Vicksburg, Maj. Gen. Walsh 

called the chief engineers of 

levee districts throughout the 

MR&T project footprint to gain 

perspective on the flood fights 

in their areas of operation and 

to ensure they had the 

necessary resources. 

Over the next several days, the 

commission watched and 

waited as the flood crest neared 

Arkansas City, Greenville, 

Vicksburg and Natchez. The 

district commanders continued 

to provide situational reports 

from the field that emphasized 

the tremendous pressure on the 

system, but they remained 

optimistic that conditions had 

stabilized and the system would continue 

to perform as designed. 

 

Finally on May 20, the MRC meteorologist 

reported that the river had crested at 

Natchez and Red River Landing, indicating 

that the Mississippi River had crested 

everywhere within the MR&T project. 

 

On May 21, the commission again set up 

its operations center on the MV 

MISSISSIPPI, this time in New Orleans. 

Maj. Gen. Walsh and Col. Fleming 

Morgan City, La., floodwall Morgan City, La., floodwall
provided a total system brief to Gen. Martin 

Dempsey, Chief of Staff of the Army, and 

then accompanied him on an aerial 

assessment of afflicted areas in the vicinity 

of New Orleans. 

Three days later, the commission provided 

an overview of the MR&T system 

performance during the flood to the 

Honorable John McHugh, the Secretary of 

the Army. Following the briefing, the 

commission accompanied Secretary 

McHugh on an aerial tour of flood stricken 

areas around New Orleans and then 

hosted a press conference at the Bonnet 

Carré Spillway. 

On May 25, the commission departed the 

New Orleans area and flew to Sikeston, 

Mo., where Col. Reichling presented 

various alternatives for the path forward in 

resetting the Birds Point-New Madrid 

floodway. Following the briefing, the 

commission adjourned. 

18 

Information Technology Solutions Mississippi River Commission 

2011 MR&T Flood Report 

Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chief of Staff of the Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chief of Staff of the 

Army (2nd from left), at Bonnet Carré Army (2nd from left), at Bonnet Carré

Maj. Gen. Walsh with Secretary of Maj. Gen. Walsh with Secretary of 

the Army John McHugh the Army John McHugh
19 
1927 Flood = 

16.8 million acres 

2011 Flood = 

6.35 million acres 

More than 10 million 

acres not flooded 

in 2011 

20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45