On display at Middleton Library: The Great Flood of 1927
In the Middleton Library lobby until the end of Summer, August 21st, be sure to visit the Display Committee's latest display on The Great Flood of 1927.
Unusually heavy rainfall throughout the mid-west and Mississippi River valley led to one of the greatest natural disasters of the 20th century. Initial flooding of rivers in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois in the fall of 1926 was only the start of a months-long flooding that spilled into Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky. Over 16 million acres (about 26,000 square miles) and nearly 4.5 million people were affected by the disaster.
Many areas remained flooded for weeks, and over 300,000 people were forced to live in Red Cross refugee camps, while another 300,000 were provided temporary living space in public buildings. The stagnant water and crowded living conditions led to the spread of communicable diseases such as typhoid and malaria. The flood waters also resulted in thousands of dead animals, both wild and domestic, requiring removal.
Following the great flood, the Flood Control Act of 1928 [see books in this display] was passed in order to develop flood control from Cape Girardeau, Mo. to the Head Passes, La. The act called for various improvement projects along the Mississippi. Some of the major projects included: extensive construction and repair of levees all along the river, a 300 foot wide by 9 foot deep navigation channel to be maintained for the length of the river, the construction of floodways and the construction of channels to redirect flood waters.
Specifically in Louisiana, systems built after the act included the Bonnet Carré Spillway and the Atchafalaya floodways. The Bonnet Carre Spillway is a flood control system comprised of floodgates and floodway levees that can release and direct waters from the Mississippi River to Lake Ponchartrain away from the city of New Orleans. The Atchafalaya floodway is a system of two floodways, which uses a series of levees to direct flood runoff waters from the Mississippi River. Waters are direct from the east via the Morganza floodway (later rebuilt as a spillway in 1973), and from the Red River’s overflow from the west. The floodways, a system of levees, direct the water through the Atchafalaya basin, then to the Wax Lake Outlet, and finally into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Display Committee consists of Library Associate Sarah Ferstel, General Librarian Alexis Carrasquel, and General Librarian Molly Fischer.
Sources:
"The Mississippi River: a short historic description of the development of flood control and navigation on the Mississippi river" (June 1940), by the Mississippi River Commission.
"The Mississippi Valley Flood Disaster of 1927" (1929) Official Report of the Relief Operations by the American National Red Cross.
