EAGLE LAKE — By May 2011, the historic spring flood had cut the Eagle Lake community off from the world.

The Mississippi River rose to record heights, cresting at 57.1 feet at Vicksburg, or 14.1 feet above flood stage and nine-tenths of a foot above the Great Flood of 1927. Flood waters submerged Mississippi 465, the main paved road into Eagle Lake, and covered sections of U.S. 61 North.

A majority of the community’s residents fled to higher ground, and those who stayed found their escape routes cut off when authorities closed the main and back levee roads in late May. By that time, the only way to reach Eagle Lake was by boat.

The flood didn’t take the community, but it took its toll.

Though floodwaters have receded and U.S. 61 North and Mississippi 465 have long been open, residents say the community is only now returning, and it’s a slow process.

Located in Northern Warren County, Eagle Lake is an oxbow lake, a bend in the river that was cut off when the Mississippi changed course. The lake always has been a popular fishing spot, but in the past 10 years to 15 years, some locals say, it began developing into a large residential area for full-time and seasonal residents.

“I think there were several reasons for the growth,” said Tim Carpenter, Eagle Lake Water Association president. “One is recreation on the lake— boating, skiing, fishing and tubing. The age of some of the people here is up in the late 50s and early 60s. They had enough income to have a second home to escape to on weekends.”

The homes along the lake’s shore are a mix of mobile homes and houses, some of those houses are in the six-figure price range. Almost eight months after the flood, some of the homes are occupied, some are vacant, some have for sale signs in their front yards. There are also homes under construction.

Johnny Roland, owner of Lo Sto Store on Lo Sto Road, said the for sale signs “are an ongoing thing. After the flood, I think some people panicked and a lot of for sale signs went up. But we have people who are getting older and they want to move closer to town to be near their doctors and their families. I have people stop by all the time asking if there are any homes for sale.

“I tell them, ‘Drive around and look. You’ll see the signs.’ ”

Roland, whose family has owned Lo Sto since 1946, was among the residents who left when the mandatory evacuation was ordered.

“We lost a whole summer,” he said, adding his business continues to be slow.

“Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Labor Day are our biggest times,” said Ronnie Wilson, who has owned Yore Country Store on Mississippi 465 for six years. “The summer is our whole year. We lost a whole year. When I came back, there were times when I could look down the road and never see a car.”

Gilbert Rose, president of Tara Wildlife at the end of Eagle Lake Shore Road, said Tara had to cancel conferences and some of its summer youth camps because of the flooding.

“We closed in early April and remained closed until June 26,” he said. “We had to take equipment out and store it.”

Like Roland, George McMillin a Vicksburg Realtor familiar with Eagle Lake, said the for sale signs are common in the area.

“Some people are selling because of the flood,” he said. “But others are selling because of the economy. They just can’t afford to have two homes any more.”

McMillin said people are still interested in Eagle Lake and he continues to get calls from prospective buyers. Only time will tell whether the community grows, he said.

One thing affecting many residents, he said, is the claims some have filed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over piers that were damaged when the level of Eagle Lake was raised more than 13 feet — from 76.9 to 90 feet — during the flood to ease pressure on the mainline Mississippi River levee at Buck Chute.

Corps spokesman Kavanaugh Breazeale said 29 claims from Eagle Lake were filed with the Corps in September and are being processed. He said it takes about six months to process a claim.

At Strick’s on Shell Beach Road, Robert Burton, his wife, Alexis, and several friends in the bar say the area’s coming back. During the flood, Strick’s was headquarters for the few souls who remained at Eagle Lake.

“We moved, but we came right back,” said Alexis Burton, who was tending bar with her husband at Strick’s for owner Mike Strickland. “If we’d known then what we know now, we would never have left. I won’t leave if it happens again.”

“We’re back at work,” said Robert Burton, who works for S&S Construction. “There’s a lot of (home) construction going on around here. The wildlife is back, especially the deer. You’d better watch after dark if you’re driving around here.”

A trip along the lake shore reveals several construction company signs and some new homes going up.

Carpenter said the water association has 609 connected and operating water meters, adding, “We’ve added 10 meters. That means 10 homes have been sold for whatever reason.”

He said, however, that he could not identify from association records which meters served full-time residents.

Rose said the wildlife is resilient and returning to the area. He said he can also see the community returning.

Wilson said his business has picked up.

“It began picking up when they (the Corps of Engineers) began working on the Buck Chute Levee,” he said. “It’s getting better. And the people are slowly returning. People come here to have a good time and get away from it all.”

Roland also believes his business will improve.

“We had holiday events with a lot of people, and the fishing reports are good,” he said. “I hear the white perch are really biting. The fishing might bring them back.”

“This is a seasonal area,” said Stephanie Cook, Roland’s sister, who lives on Brunswick Drive. “This has always been a fishing lake, and the fishing is picking up. When the weather starts getting warmer, people should start coming back.”

She said things are slow in the area now because of the weather and some lingering effects from the flood.

“Right now, it’s a bit discouraging,” she said, adding that one bright spot has been the arrival of pelicans, which spend time resting on Muddy Bayou.

“The lake community is still very vibrant,” said Kim Koppman, a real estate agent who lives on Eagle Lake. “During the holidays, we had a lot of families return to the lake for family celebrations and parties. Several of us had a New Year’s Eve celebration.”

She said a nonprofit group, Save Historic Eagle Lake, is working to landscape and add a pavilion near Messina Landing boat launch off Mississippi 465.

“We’re coming back,” Robert Burton said. “Things are getting better.”

“We help each other out,” his wife said. “We like to see people succeed.”