Mississippi River Flooding Photos: Images Of 2011 Historic Floods

As a massive surge of water continues to make its way down the Mississippi River from intense rainfall and snowmelt, the southern U.S. is being inundated with historic floods, the likes of which haven't been seen since 1937 in some areas.

While massive cleanup operations are underway in some areas -- like Memphis, Tennessee -- residents further south along the river are bracing for the worst.

Check back as we continually update the slideshow below with the latest photos of the tragedy along the Mississippi, and click here for live updates.

Comments

[nmaddog7]

03:24 PM on 05/23/2011

Some crystal clear scientific explanations why these floods are happening now. To quickly list a few:increase in pavement cover like parking lots,roads, increase in people living in flood zones,levee mismanagement by towns,and more from Nature: http://bit.ly/jfqeya
Dont get driven into a panic attack because you may think AGW is happening very quickly,there are other reasons. Read a science journal!

[joshmcdonald]

12:24 PM on 05/25/2011

You make a VERY good point here. There are many human caused factors involved. AGW is simply a larger, more strategic issue....we have also screwed up in MANY smaller, tactical ways as well.

[REMEMBER2050]

12:09 PM on 05/23/2011

Some of these photographs are extraordinary. As a group I'd nominate them for a Pulitzer. My heart goes out to these folks affected by this terrible mess.

I'd say it will only take maybe two more decades of extreme weather events, and then maybe America will begin to recognize what we're doing wrong. Because something else that's extraordinary is that here we are, the only nation on the planet thinking there's a climate change "debate," with one side looking to science and the other finding that science incredibly inconvenient based solely on political persuasion.

[baxtron]

12:06 PM on 05/23/2011

4 inches of rain in MN this weekend. get ready for more moderate flooding in 3-6 days MO, MI, and LA.

[Kenz300]

11:55 AM on 05/23/2011

For too long developers have been filling in wetlands and building on them. Wetlands are natures water storage areas. They help with flood control and recharge ground water.

Republican insistence for deregulation and let business do what ever they want policies contribute to this flooding problem. We need to create more flood water storage areas not less. There needs to be open space for the water to go. These 100 years floods seem to be happening every few years. It is time to come up with a long term solution instead of doing the same thing every few years and rebuilding. If a home is in a flood plain national flood insurance should only pay for that property one time. The people should be helped to move to higher ground and the property should be put into a flood control area and not rebuild on again.
Those areas should become open space flood water storage areas. They need to become parks, wetlands, nature preserves, flood water storage areas and farm lands.

[nmaddog7]

02:18 PM on 05/25/2011

http://bit.ly/jfqeya Nature mag on very same thing

[lightningbolt]

11:47 AM on 05/23/2011

Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing people and destroying massive amounts of land.

[lightningbolt]

11:46 AM on 05/23/2011

Floods like these will become much more frequent as the temperature of the Earth rises.  The temperature of the Earth will continue to rise as long as we continue to introduce massive amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

[nmaddog7]

02:21 PM on 05/25/2011

2010s floods in Pakistan are caused by deforestation and massive overdevelopment, let's not jump on the it's all AGW yet

[lightningbolt]

11:45 AM on 05/23/2011

Even if the entire world gets flooded, right wingers will continue to deny the scientific evidence that climate change is here and being caused by our massive amounts of carbon dioxide being spewed from cars and factories every day.

[lightningbolt]

11:44 AM on 05/23/2011

Climate change is here.  Everyone can see it.  Still, the right wingers will deny it, since they are protecting their fossil fuel industry bosses.

[Marisa Stein]

11:38 AM on 05/23/2011

that's amazing...

[annimoss]

11:23 AM on 05/23/2011

But we have no climate change, right?

[TYRANNASAURUS]

10:43 AM on 05/23/2011

Mississippi Floods Continue To Swallow Towns....

Anybody looking at maps can see that's a flood plain they built in....WHAT DID THEY EXPECT?

[nmaddog7]

02:23 PM on 05/25/2011

2010 Pakistani floods has same cause

[nmaddog7]

02:23 PM on 05/25/2011

Link http://bit.ly/mOQvbO

[lauram]

09:31 AM on 05/23/2011

If I was head of FEMA, I'd be sending all those good FEMA staff who's job it is to assist others in their time of need with T-Shirts that read "I'm your government and I'm here to help."

[Julie McCuiston]

11:47 AM on 05/23/2011

I am very sympathetic to the situation all these folks are in with these terrible weather events, but most of these red state folks have been busy tearing down government programs. Now, they need "big government's" help. I don't think they would get much help if they called on Wallstreet....ya think?

[joshmcdonald]

12:25 PM on 05/25/2011

This is a GREAT idea!

[Time Share]

09:24 AM on 05/23/2011

Smart folks!

[theaustralian]

05:23 AM on 05/23/2011

I like the american south with their nice white manors and their swamps and their french roots and their vodoo and jazz and their history. One of the few places in america i want to visit and salem aswell because if it's anything like it is in days of our lives it'd be bangin.

[luziannagirl]

08:08 AM on 05/23/2011

Come on down, then, cher!

Don't think you'll be disappointed.

[MSROADKILL612]

08:31 AM on 05/23/2011

Qantas new US hub is Dallas - not sure mansions are my thing - but the real folks in the boonies of the south sound a fun trip - am from oz also

[WheresNixon]

12:09 AM on 05/23/2011

Any decent human being will have compassion for another who is affected by a natural disaster. A person does not have a hand in this type of occurrence. Those who believe otherwise have a very dark heart!

[joshmcdonald]

12:26 PM on 05/25/2011

We have plenty of compassion...but we aren't blind.