Islands in the stream: The extraordinary homemade dams holding back the Mississi

[Serpo]

Residents go to extreme measures to save their homes
Flooding claims its first death

We've all undertaken home improvements but these residents in flood-stricken Mississippi have had to embark on major construction projects just to protect their houses and livelihoods.

These homes in Vicksburg are all situated along the Yazoo River, a tributary of the overflowing Mississippi River, and their owners have surrounded themselves with tons of earth and sand.

With questions over whether the main levees that protect the area from floods would hold, these farmers took no chances and have so far saved their homes and crops from destruction.

photos at link.....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1388660/Mississippi-River-flooding-Residents-build-homemade-dams-saves-houses.html#ixzz1MqJKOC5c

[ximmy]

This is the spirit of true American survival instinct... They do not cry to a gooberment for help, they independently face trial, plan and act.

You can be sure the government will respond with taxes & fines...

[Glass]

This is the spirit of true American survival instinct... They do not cry to a gooberment for help, they independently face trial, plan and act.

You can be sure the government will respond with taxes & fines...


Well they certainly had to do something. The Government increased the effects of the flood waters on them by a substantial amount. The cleanup with be the worst for people closest to the cities.

[vacuum]

This one is truly epic. Look at the telephone pole next to it for comparison.

http://i.imgur.com/pYITJ.jpg

[keehah]

This one is truly epic. Look at the telephone pole next to it for comparison.


Once the flood water is gone, punch a gate through, front and back, get the OK to leave the rest 'for the next flood'. Then put up a pole with a few security cameras so you can see over the walls from in the house. Privacy and safe from sniper fire in your house and even garden! And your also ready for the next huge flood (close the driveway gates). Worth spending the money for what must have been hundreds of truckloads!

[mick silver]

most of the farmers saving there home have the tools to build theys dam . i am looking for a old dozer right now

[ximmy]

This one is truly epic. Look at the telephone pole next to it for comparison.


Once the flood water is gone, punch a gate through, front and back, get the OK to leave the rest 'for the next flood'. Then put up a pole with a few security cameras so you can see over the walls from in the house. Privacy and safe from sniper fire in your house and even garden! And your also ready for the next huge flood (close the driveway gates). Worth spending the money for what must have been hundreds of truckloads!


Future builders could push dirt into a big mound and build on that in the first place...

[Ponce]

Whos fault is it? anyone paying for all that?........after all that was now a mistake made by God but rather by man......is the insurance company going to pay?........or the army corps of ingineers?.

[Cobalt]

This one is truly epic. Look at the telephone pole next to it for comparison.


Once the flood water is gone, punch a gate through, front and back, get the OK to leave the rest 'for the next flood'. Then put up a pole with a few security cameras so you can see over the walls from in the house. Privacy and safe from sniper fire in your house and even garden! And your also ready for the next huge flood (close the driveway gates). Worth spending the money for what must have been hundreds of truckloads!


Future builders could push dirt into a big mound and build on that in the first place...



I don't know about back there but you can't do it around here unless you get a special permit, it has to do with changing the natural flow of water in a flood plain.

When you build up the ground or divert water then your neighbors downstream get hit harder.


That is one of things that always made me laugh when it comes too floods here in WA state, All the levies on a river system have to be built to a certain height, that is so one diking district cannot build theirs higher then the surrounding districts and cause them to flood worse.
The funny part is as soon as a flood starts to take place, everyone starts hauling sandbags and stacking them on the levies which makes them higher.
I have worked many floods and whenever I have asked the white hat from the Corp of Engineers why they just don't build them taller to begin with and quit calling us out at night to build them higher with sandbags they just give me the eye roll.