http://www.freep.com/article/20110515/N ... ave-cities
MORGANZA, La. -- A steel, 10-ton floodgate was raised Saturday for the first time in nearly four decades, unleashing a torrent of water from the Mississippi River across thousands of miles of delta farmland to spare Baton Rouge, New Orleans and the petroleum plants between them.
The water spit out slowly at first, then began gushing like a waterfall as it headed to swamp as much as 3,000 square miles of Cajun countryside known for small farms and fish camps. Some places could wind up under as much as 25 feet of water.
