The flood peak has reached the Mississippi River on Tuesday the U.S. city of Memphis, Tennessee (south), where it has been necessary to evacuate hundreds of families to achieve the level of water 14.6 meters, officials said.

The National Weather Service of the United States has indicated that the waters have reached that level, at dawn, a few inches shorter than the maximum recorded in 1937, and will continue at that level from 24 to 26 hours.
Previous experiences

Early this morning the river flow was 4.22 meters above the level that is considered flooding.

Hundreds of residents, both of West Memphis and Memphis, across the river in Arkansas, have been evacuated and housed in shelters, authorities said.

The city is protected by a levee system built after a major flood that occurred in 1927, which flooded more than eight million acres and killed 500 people.

Ten years later there was another, which marked the record when the water level today.

Thanks to the levees, the region is now better prepared to deal with the flooding of the Mississippi, the fourth largest river in the world and the largest in North America.

The melting of snow in the area of ​​the sources of the river and heavy rainfall recorded throughout its course in recent weeks have combined to produce a flood that flooded towns and farmland for hundreds of miles.
A city prepared

The main channel of the Mississippi is so large it does not absorb the flow of its tributaries, which in turn have inundated vast areas in the federal states of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and threatened with flooding to Mississippi and Louisiana.

In Louisiana, the Corps has already partially open a drain that diverts water from the Mississippi to Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans, relieving pressure on the levees protecting the city built for the most part, at lower than the same lake.

The last time you opened the drain, about 50 miles upriver from New Orleans, it was during the 1927 flood, and it opened yesterday, was the tenth since the work was completed in 1931.

77497750775177527753775477557756775777587759776077617762776377647765776677677768776977707771777277737774777577767777777877797780778177827783778477857786778777887789779077917792779377947795779677977798779978007801780278037804780578067807780878097810781178127813781478157816781778187819782078217822782378247825782678277828782978307831783278337834783578367837783878397840784178427843784478457846784778487849785078517852785378547855785678577858785978607861786278637864786578667867786878697870787178727873787478757876787778787879788078817882788378847885788678877888788978907891789278937894789578967897789878997900790179027903790479057906790779087909791079117912791379147915791679177918791979207921792279237924792579267927792879297930793179327933793479357936793779387939794079417942794379447945794679477948794979507951795279537954795579567957795879597960796179627963796479657966796779687969797079717972797379747975797679777978797979807981798279837984798579867987798879897990799179927993799479957996799779987999800080018002800380048005800680078008800980108011801280138014801580168017801880198020802180228023802480258026802780288029803080318032803380348035803680378038803980408041804280438044804580468047804880498050805180528053805480558056805780588059806080618062806380648065806680678068806980708071807280738074807580768077807880798080808180828083808480858086808780888089809080918092809380948095809680978098809981008101810281038104810581068107810881098110811181128113811481158116811781188119812081218122812381248125812681278128812981308131813281338134813581368137813881398140814181428143814481458146814781488149815081518152815381548155815681578158815981608161816281638164816581668167816881698170817181728173817481758176817781788179818081818182818381848185818681878188818981908191819281938194819581968197819881998200820182028203820482058206820782088209821082118212821382148215821682178218821982208221822282238224822582268227822882298230823182328233823482358236823782388239824082418242824382448245824682478248824982508251825282538254825582568257825882598260826182628263826482658266826782688269827082718272827382748275827682778278827982808281828282838284828582868287828882898290829182928293829482958296829782988299830083018302830383048305830683078308830983108311831283138314831583168317831883198320832183228323832483258326832783288329833083318332833383348335833683378338833983408341834283438344834583468347834883498350835183528353835483558356835783588359836083618362