USACE activates emergency operations center
Published 10:13 am Saturday, February 23, 2019
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has activated the Vicksburg District’s Emergency Operations Center in wake of the current high water conditions on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
According to Public Affairs Chief Reagan Lauritzen, the EOC is standing by to provide support in the form of technical assistance and equipment to local, state and federal partners as they respond to the rising river.
“USACE personnel and their local partners are continuing to monitor the conditions of all federal flood control works, including levees, flood walls and pumping stations,” Lauritzen said in a press release Friday evening. “Based on the current forecast, the Vicksburg District anticipates the need to initiate daily patrols at flood control works, such as levees, floodwalls and relief wells, early next week. As of today, the district has observed no significant sand boils or seepage at flood control sites.”
The National Weather Service is forecasting the Mississippi River to crest at Vicksburg at 51.5 feet by March 8.