HISTORIC (SIC) MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOODING

Before I offer my humble (but correct) opinion on the flooding let's review the history of the subject.

"One who knows the Mississippi River will promptly aver.....that the ten thousand River Commissions, with the minds of the world at their back, cannot tame the lawless stream, cannot curb it or confine it, cannot say to it 'Go here or go there,' and make it obey; cannot save a shore that it has targeted." Mark Twain; "Life on the Mississippi River"; source Tulane University on line.

1543: Garciaso de la Vega described a severe and prolonged flood on the Mississippi. It took eighty days for the river to return to its banks in his location;
1717: The first levees were built upon the alluvial debris from the Ice Age;
1849/1850; Major floods highlighted the problem;
1852: The US Army Corp of Engineers studied the problem;
1927: An historic flood set records for river height only exceeded in 2011;
1963; After levees had grown in use a structure was completed to keep the river in its historic channel instead of allowing it to break into the Atchafalay River Basin;

Throughout history the river flooded into its outlying basin of about 50,000 sq miles. The water did not rise very high but simply flooded over its banks. As more and more people established farms in the rich sediments of past floods and cities grew up on its banks that became a problem. As the whole length of the river was dammed in by levees the water could no longer flood into the outlying areas. Where did the flood waters go? Only one place they could go....UP! It's now like a giant ditch with high walls all along its length. Don't let the global warming/ climate change/Weather Channel morons' (My opinion) hysteria affect you. There have been periods where there was much more water in the river than this year's totals. The global warmers are right in one sense: Man did cause this problem. However, it has nothing to do with climate change or CO2. Where have all the respectable scientists gone?