I don’t know about you, but I think I’ve witnessed enough history this year. First, it was the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, with attendant atomic crisis; then, it was fierce tornadoes in the south, and now it’s the Mississippi River on a near-record rampage. On top of that, rain, snowfall and garden-variety deadly tornadoes have been plentiful beyond the norm.
The Mississippi in flood always is mesmerizing. I remember the floods of 1993 well and the damage they caused, but apparently this one is much bigger. All my life, I’ve heard the river, left alone, would cut a new channel through the Achafalaya River basin, would have already perhaps. That is, of course, the outlet through which flood waters are being diverted now, the Genie upon which the Corps of Engineers calls to save New Orleans from the worst when bad already has gone to worse. Then, everyone must wait and hope the Genie will return to the bottle with no fuss after the wish is granted.
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