River crest doesn't mean immediate relief - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

River crest doesn't mean immediate relief

For the first time in recorded history, the Mississippi River in Vicksburg crested at just over 57 feet. Now that the river is at its crest, flood waters will start to slowly go down within the next few days. But that doesn't mean immediate relief to those who need it most.

Every single second, more than 16 million gallons of water are flowing through the Mississippi River in Vicksburg. It's a sight Terry Barlow and her mom just had to stop and see.

Terry says, "I didn't think I'd ever see it this high, I want to go see the casino that's under water over there."

Henry Dulaney, a chief engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers says, the rivers historic crest of just over 57 feet will remain for several days before the waters start to slowly recede.

Dulaney says, "for some people that were impacted later it'll be about two weeks, we'll be above flood stage for the next month or so."

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace says, "even after the water recedes off of the roadways the traffic engineers, the highway engineers are going to have to inspect the roadways for erosion problems before they can be opened up for traffic."

That's not the best news to Vicksburg resident Vivian Wells. She started staying at the Red Cross shelter in Vicksburg after water started creeping into her yard.

Wells says, "I've been told that approximately a foot or a foot and a half of water is in my house."

Wells says she's pleased to know the waters will go down soon, but she's not looking forward to the possibility of loosing here home and the headache she'll likely return too.

"I know that there's going to be a huge clean-up and I'm just a little anxious about how this is all going to go down with FEMA and how much help we're really going to get from them," says Wells.

Despite the loss that many people have endured, flood victims at the Red Cross shelter say all of the things they've lost are obviously material things and material things can be replaced. Everyone says they're just very thankful to be alive.

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