Just What Does 48′ Mean? #memflood #tnflood

Taken around 2pm Monday, May 2 - Harbor Town, Memphis
I took this picture at 2pm on Monday. According to NOAA, the river was about 42′ at that time. The river is set to crest at 48′. That would put the water up on the street behind me, covering about half of the turnaround in this picture.

Based on the FEMA models, that would be at or beyond the 100 year flood plain. As of 6 am this morning, the river is at 43.39′ here in Memphis, slightly higher than than projected yesterday.

You can find out where you are in the flood plain by going to the Shelby County Register of Deeds, typing in your address and selecting the FEMA check box at the bottom of the available selections.

One caution. If you are not in the 100 year flood plain, don’t assume you’re safe. Roads may be blocked, utility service may be interrupted. Be smart, and check the area around you to ensure you have an exit strategy should you find you need to move to higher ground.

If you haven’t already, put together an emergency kit. This is, perhaps, one of the most simple things you can do, but don’t wait to do it. If you wait, you may find you’re stuck with no way out. Don’t put yourself or your family in unnecessary danger, build a kit.

Last night the US Army Corps of Engineers blew up part of a levee in Mississippi Co., Missouri. They have scheduled two more blasts, but the second was delayed due to weather. I’m not sure about what kind of impact this will have on us down stream, but any effort to help keep the flow of water out of highly populated areas is welcome.

Up river it’s not looking that good. The Lake County Banner has been posting regular updates about issues in the extreme Northwest Tennessee county, as has the Dyersburg State Gazette, both on the website and their twitter account. The Covington Leader in Tipton County also has a flood page and a twitter account.

The Mississippi River is the big story, but there are plenty of smaller rivers that are just as swollen and can cause flooding that is just as devastating. Be aware of your surroundings.

The Memphis/Shelby County Emergency Management Agency has a map with the most recent flood predictions for Shelby Co. Please take a look at those predictions and make appropriate plans to stay clear of the potentially flooded areas.

I hope to have more as more information becomes available including shelters and volunteering opportunities. If you have information regarding either of these, please email to sross1972 at gmail dot com, use the Contact form, or send a message to @vibinc on twitter.

Stay safe.

3 Replies to “Just What Does 48′ Mean? #memflood #tnflood”

  1. I think there are a lot of folks who think that the blowing of the levee is going to make some difference downstream. It’s important for folks to realize IT IS NOT. By lunch today, they will have blown a levee at the other end of the spillway to let the water back into the river. That water is still all coming down towards Memphis.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.