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1927 Flood |
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Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) Project
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The Lower
Mississippi River flood on 1927 was one of the worst floods to date,
and the reason for much of the laws and regulations in place for the
control of the Mississippi River today. The flood covered an
area of over 26,000 square miles, and took the lives of over 500
people. Over 700,000 people were forced to evacuate their
homes and hope for the best.
 At the time of the flood, the only man made structures controlling the flow of the Mississippi River were levees. When the flood came, the water pressure created cracks in thirteen of the "main Mississippi River levees." This instance proved that no matter how strong a levee, there needs to be more safe guards in place to control the Mississippi River. From the floods of 1927 came the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) Project. This was the first "comprehensive flood control and navigation act" the United States adopted. |