"Flooding along Mississippi approaches record; Hundreds flee; landmarks in Memphis safe" by Adrian Sainz, Associated Press / May 10, 2011
MEMPHIS — The Mississippi River rose yesterday to levels not seen in Memphis since the 1930s, swamping homes in low-lying neighborhoods and driving hundreds of people from their homes....
In Memphis, authorities have gone door-to-door to 1,300 homes over the past few days to warn people to clear out, but they were already starting to talk about a labor-intensive clean up, signaling the worst was probably over and no additional areas would have serious flooding....
“The country thinks were in lifeboats and we are underwater. For visitors, its business as usual,’’ said Kevin Kane, president and chief executive of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau....
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"More residents urged to evacuate as Mississippi River rises into Memphis" Associated Press / May 9, 2011
MEMPHIS — The Mississippi spared Kentucky and northwest Tennessee any catastrophic flooding, and no deaths have been reported there, but some low-lying towns and farmland along the banks of the big river have been inundated with water.
There is also tension farther south in the Mississippi Delta and Louisiana, with the river’s crest continuing at a lazy pace, leaving behind what could be a slow-developing disaster....
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Also see: Sunday Globe Special: South is Safe
