Vicksburg police officers made their way through low-lying neighborhoods threatened by flooding from the Mississippi Wednesday, warning residents of the potential danger and getting information about families and whether they have some place to go if they leave.

Police Chief Walter Armstrong said seven officers visited a total of 95 residents in the Kings and Cedars areas, adding 41 people were not at home when officers called. He said officers left a flier telling residents they had been by, explaining the reason for the visit and giving a phone number to call for information.

Armstrong said the reason officers wanted phone numbers and relocation plans was to provide information to relatives asking about family members in the flooded areas.

“It would allow us to tell family members where they went so they would know how to contact them,” he said.

“We’re glad to be able to do it,” he said of the visits. “Anytime we can save a life or someone’s property, it’s beneficial.”

The officers called on residents in Kings and Ford Subdivision living west of the Kansas City Southern Railroad tracks, which are expected to be affected by the flood, and all of the Cedars area, which is west of U.S. 61 South.

Armstrong said many of the residents told officers they did not have flood insurance.

According to National Weather Service predictions, the Mississippi River is expected to reach 54 feet Jan. 16. The flood stage at Vicksburg is 43 feet.

At 44 feet, according to a Weather Service Advisory, Pittman Road and Mary’s Alley in the Ford/Kings area will begin to flood, and at 44.6 feet, homes on Williams Street in Ford are expected to begin flooding. At 45 feet, Kings and Ford will flood. The river is predicted to reach 43.8 feet Monday. The forecast flood stage only goes through Monday, Jan. 4.

At 50 feet, water will reach the south end of Hutson Street in Kings, and Hall Road at Cedars Road in the south will be closed to some businesses off U.S. 61 South. At 52 feet, Hutson Street will be inundated.

“I hope it doesn’t get this way,” said Frank Rankin, who was contacted by police at his home on Rankin Alley off Chickasaw Road. Rankin is a survivor of the 2011 spring flood, when the Mississippi reached 57.1 feet.

“I’ve rebuilt my home and got it up; it meets all the city’s standards,” he said. “I hope I don’t have to leave. I want to stay here in my home.”