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Torrential Rains
Torrential rains in 1926 and 1927 caused massive flooding over seven states, an event that left 700,000 homeless, killed 250-1,000 people and inundated more than 26,000 square miles with floodwaters – equal to the size of Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts combined.
In some areas, the Mississippi reached 80 miles wide. Typically, the widest part of the Mississippi is at Lake Winnibigoshish near Bena, Minnesota, where the river is more than 11 miles wide. The 1927 flood spur -
Massive Flooding
The flood-control system built after the 1927 flood was severely tested when heavy rains caused massive flooding in both the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, inundating about 20 million acres and leaving approximately 1 million homeless and more than 300 people dead. The size and scope rivaled the flood of 1927. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway and the Bonnet Carre Spillway for the first time. -
High Water Volume
The largest volume of water since the flood of 1927 surged down the Mississippi, impacting 16 states and killing approximately 30 people. The Morganza Spillway in northern Louisiana was opened for the first time and the Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened for a record 75 days. -
Unprecedented Rainfall
Unprecedented rainfall caused the Mississippi to overflow its banks, inundating 20 million acres in 9 states, damaging or destroying about 50,000 homes, forcing more than 54,000 people to evacuate and killing an estimated 30-50 people. The USACE reported that 40 federal levees and 1,043 non-federal levees either collapsed or were damaged by the floodwaters. Barge, railroad, truck and airline traffic was severely impacted. The estimated cost of the disaster was about $20 billion. -
Opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway
The Army Corp opened the Bonnet Carre Spillway for the first time in 11 years. Floodwaters delayed rebuilding of levees damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
