U.S. authorities have opened a valve unloader on the Mississippi River in Louisiana (south), which recorded a historic flood in order to prevent further flooding of New Orleans, six years after Katrina.
The body of Engineers U.S. Army had previously announced it would open gradually from 3:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) the overflow channel of Morganza, Louisiana, to avoid a "wall of water "in the words of the governor of this state, Bobby Jindal, does descend on thousands of homes located along the Atchafalaya River.
"It may be more a marathon than a sprint," said Gen. Michael Walsh at a news conference in Morganza, stating that "enormous pressure weighing on the entire system."
The valve was opened when the river flow reached 42,500 cubic meters per second.This is only the second time since its construction in 1954 that emergency channel is open.
If all the floodway gates were open, the flow would reach a rate of 17,000 cubic meters per second, three times the volume of water that falls daily from Niagara Falls.
To avoid such a destructive flow, a single valve was opened Saturday to pass 280 cubic meters per second, one or two others could be Sunday.
Load shedding, which will supply water into the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to cause flooding of 1.2 million hectares but will save Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the martyred city of Hurricane just who is recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina in late August 2005, Governor Jindall.
New Orleans is protected by dikes upstream from six yards but the water has already reached 5.2 meters, and the worst floods in 70 years-that struck the central United States follow the course of the Mississippi south .
They have so far destroyed thousands of homes, farms and roads in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi.
In view of downloading, the authorities have carried out evacuations in rural areas will be affected, a sacrifice which the mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu, said he was conscious.
"It's a tragic situation for everyone in America and of course for people who live in the Atchafalaya Basin and Morgan City.We wholeheartedly with them, "he said, noting that it would save his city.
Cindy Prejean, a resident of Gibson, a town a hundred miles from New Orleans, expects to see its home swim in 1.5 meters of water.
"What gives them the right to inundate us? Here there are so many neighborhoods, businesses and farms," she told AFP.
According to forecasts, the opening of the channel load shedding could lead to peak at 4.5 meters in some neighborhoods.
The army said it would focus more on individuals than on the property.In anticipation, the American Red Cross has prepared thousands of places for evacuees.
Economically, the activity of the Port of New Orleans are continuing normally but 2,200 oil wells were threatened by floodwaters.
