The story behind the picture

[East Texas]

I've been scanning the internet for a couple of days and am unable to find the story behind this particular homemade levy. Do any of you know who/where/how, etc? I find this particular levee fascinating.

 

[devans0]

Now that is a wide moat!

 

[Bestwifeever]

Here you go:

Mississippi River Flooding Photos: Images Of 2011 Historic Floods

A farmhouse is protected by a small levee while another stands flooded near Yazoo City, Miss., Thursday, May 19, 2011. For thousands of people forced from their homes by the rising Mississippi River, life has become a tedious waiting game: waiting for meals at shelters, waiting for the latest word on their flooded homes, waiting for the river to fall. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

 

[Free To Canoe]

Here you go:

Mississippi River Flooding Photos: Images Of 2011 Historic Floods

I wouldn't exactly call it a small levee.

 

[East Texas]

What's the story behind the picture? Where is it? Who owns it? How did they build it (must have had experience building dams because he put a good slope on both sides of the levee). How many bulldozers? How long did it take? Where did he get the tons of dirt?

So many questions....

 

[Texas Proud]

More than likely it will fail....


Being from East Texas you must know that they flood the Trinity river every once in awhile... there was someone who did the same as this... built a levy to protect his house...

The problem is that the water will percolate inside the levy due to the water pressure... and after awhile the moving water will wash away some part of the levy... after it is breached, the whole thing gets washed away in short order...


But, let's hope that this one stands...

 

[Bestwifeever]

Now I'm on a mission . A bigger photo of the surrounding area of Yazoo City, MS--the house in the above photo is in the lower left corner here. I imagine the folks involved don't have a lot of time to be writing about how they created these levees. The farmland is going to be very enriched from the flooding, I believe.

 

[Zero]

I just love the photo of the two men at 349 Riverside. An open bottle of cheap hootch and a couple of beers and probably discussing ER.

Bet there has been a many a good conversation transpire on that porch.

 

[TromboneAl]

In this picture:

It doesn't look as big (sun wasn't as low). Note also that the water only comes to the foot of the levy (so far, anyway). The neighbor's house isn't flooded yet.

 

[East Texas]

We used about 50 tons of dirt to rebuild our earthen dam - which is less than 100' long. I cannot imagine how many tons was needed for this levee. I'm impressed.

Do you think the guy is still on the farm?

What photo of 349 Riverside?

 

[Bestwifeever]

I wonder if this is the story about those properties being protected:

Yazoo farmer builds levee - WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS:

 

[Webzter]

Few more pictures here of various houses

Mississippi River flooding: Residents build homemade dams to saves houses | Mail Online

 

[Zero]

What photo of 349 Riverside?

Here is the souce: Huffington Post
Here is 349 Riverside!

 

[kumquat]

Good for all of them. Ya gotta at least try.

 

[TromboneAl]

I've always felt that the old manually filled sandbags were a ridiculously inefficient solution to flooding problems. At least now these bladder barriers appear more often:

I guess as long as the floodwaters are below the top of the water-filled bladder, then it won't float up.

 

[omni550]

I've been scanning the internet for a couple of days and am unable to find the story behind this particular homemade levy. Do any of you know who/where/how, etc? I find this particular levee fascinating.

Here's a CNN report on this property Free Videos Online - WOW! (see "Man turns farm into Island" dated May 20).

It looks like they've covered the outside of it with weighted-down plastic or tarps, which may help prevent the water penetration and washing-away.

omni

 

[East Texas]

omni - Thanks for your perseverance! Thanks to you I also found the video on YouTube sans commercial.

YouTube - ‪Man turns farm into island [CNN: 5-20-2011]‬‏

Now we know the story behind the picture.

 

[TromboneAl]

Nice that it was God that protected the house. Of course, it might have been easier if He hadn't sent the water, but whatever.

 

[Rustward]

Here is the souce: Huffington Post
Here is 349 Riverside!

Born in that town and lived there my first 18 years. But I don't think I know Earl and Luke.

Checked it out on Google maps. This address is within the "ring levee", which, as the name implies, surrounds the town. The only real danger to them is from the north -- Bayou De Glaise which floods from the river, and from the east, the Atchafalaya river. The levees are massive. I do remember them leaking some in 1973. And no, you simply cannot compare rivers like the Atchafalaya and Mississippi to, say, the Trinity river in the DFW area -- that would be laughable.

About the time I was finishing high school, a family friend who typically had three sheets to the wind told me to never forget where I came from. Well, folks, it ain't much, but that's where I'm from, and I haven't forgotten.

 

[Texas Proud]

Born in that town and lived there my first 18 years. But I don't think I know Earl and Luke.

Checked it out on Google maps. This address is within the "ring levee", which, as the name implies, surrounds the town. The only real danger to them is from the north -- Bayou De Glaise which floods from the river, and from the east, the Atchafalaya river. The levees are massive. I do remember them leaking some in 1973. And no, you simply cannot compare rivers like the Atchafalaya and Mississippi to, say, the Trinity river in the DFW area -- that would be laughable.

About the time I was finishing high school, a family friend who typically had three sheets to the wind told me to never forget where I came from. Well, folks, it ain't much, but that's where I'm from, and I haven't forgotten.

My reference was to the Trinity river down by the bay.... after the dam... IIRC the release of water was greater than Niagara Falls... not a small river...

 

[East Texas]

Pay attention to key words when you're looking for a place to live / work: basin, flood plain, green belt, below sea level.... I'm sure there are more.

 

[REWahoo]

.... I'm sure there are more.

Handyman's delight, fixer-upper, needs TLC, lots of potential, good bones....

 

[TromboneAl]

Pay attention to key words when you're looking for a place to live / work: basin, flood plain, green belt, below sea level.... I'm sure there are more.

The real estate agent will say something like "They have to put that in the description, but a flood here is very unlikely..."