In 1927, A Great Flood Swept Through Mississippi And Changed The State Forever
By Daniella DiRienzo|Published April 03, 2018
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Daniella DiRienzo
Author
Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for more than 30 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as the Mississippi-based Parents & Kids Magazine. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
To this day, the Mississippi River Flood of 1927 remains the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States. The raging flood waters spread over millions of acres and claimed the lives of hundreds. Extremely catastrophic, the flood had lasting effects on not only the state, but entire country. Take a look:
Dubbed the "Great Flood of 1927," it took place between April and May. Overall, 500 people were killed and 600,000 were left homeless.
Part of what makes this flood so significant, is the vast amount of land it affected. The flood waters spread across Mississippi, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana, submerging a total of 16 million acres of land!
A few days later, on April 21st, the levee in Mounds Landing, MS gave out. The break was so severe, the amount of water it allowed through covered nearly 1 million acres with 10’ of water in just 10 days.
Before long, the swelling waters caused the entire levee system along the Mississippi River to collapse. The Mississippi Delta received some of the worst damage, with water as high as 30’ in some areas. It was two months before the flood waters subsided.
In the days leading to the break at Mounds Landing, trains were used to evacuate residents from Greenville to Vicksburg and Memphis. Sadly, African Americans weren’t included in the evacuation efforts, leaving many stranded as the waters rose.
Though the flood was terribly tragic, some good did come of it. The National Flood Control Act of 1928, which authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to "design and construct projects for the control of floods," was a direct result of the disaster.
