When will the mississippi flood waters reach the new orleans area, and is it likely to affect the area in any major way?

There’s a spillway north of town that they will probably open to divert excess water away from the river channel & city. Hopefully, that will be enough. Look up the Bonne Carre(sp?) spillway.

Bonnet Carre

You realize that the Bonnet Carre spillway empties into Lake Pontchartrain? And THAT has famously good levies.(Have they been improved enough lately?) I really don’t know, but it certainly depends on the volume of water and how long it takes the whole thing to arrive. If it drains south slowly, nothing will happen.

well personally have no idea but I live in alton and the river is right downtown, and we have to have all those roads blocked off. it sort of sucks.

I don’t think it will have that big of an impact by the time it hits New Orleans. The river channel in LA can hold much more water than the river channel in MT, ND and SD.