Thousands of people from Illinois to Louisiana have been forced to evacuate their homes as officials predict a slow-motion Mississippi River disaster could break flood records dating back to the 1920s.Hickman, Kentucky, is anxiously watching the levee that adjoins the floodwall after 120 prisoners from Fulton County jail filled 120,000 sandbags in less than 10 days in an effort to help the community.
Mississippi River residents say it could be up to two weeks before some of the most severe flooding hits and levees have already been broken in non-residential areas to protect populated communities.
‘I've never seen it this bad,’ said 78-year-old Joe Harrison, who has lived in the same house in Hickman since he was 11-months-old.
Floodwaters turned his house into an island - dry but surrounded by water. He has been using a boat to get to his car, parked on dry ground along a highway that runs by his house.
Morrison Williamson is confident the floodwall about 10ft from the hardware store he manages will save it. He has kept the shop open for customers requiring flood-fighting supplies.
The decision to break open a Missouri levee upstream has kept the river from topping the floodwall, and that has saved many communities 20 miles to the south in Tennessee. Read More
