LSU Libraries' Technology Initiatives: lsudiglib@lsu.edu. As a result, huge tracts of lowland, called spillways, were set aside in south central and southeastern Louisiana. The Great Flood of 1927 unleashed a spring season of catastrophic events along the banks of the Mississippi River. Lucy Somerville [Howorth] tells in her diary how citizens of Greenville, in anticipation of a crevasse prepared their town and homes for the flood. In some places, great mounds of sand covered fields and streets. The flood drove many tenant farmers, most of whom were African American, off their land and, in many cases, out of the region. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, with 27,000 square miles (70,000 km 2) inundated in depths of up to 30 feet (9 m) over the course of several months in early 1927. WERTHEIMER: Mr. Barry, clearly, we're looking at incredible devastation in photographs of New Orleans and the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines: shattered homes, piles of debris that are completely unrecognizable as whatever they once were. The refugees were caught between a system of legalities they did not understand and marshes still filled with water that kept them from going home. "Seeing the dirty brown water snaking through the grass and palmettos was sufficient to make cold chills run up and down one's spine," he said. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. She would feed the cow and milk her and we would all come back by boat.". 15 The worst Good Friday I ever saw. If the break happened below New Orleans, it would relieve pressure and spare the city from massive flooding. (You can unsubscribe anytime), Courtesy of Center for Louisiana Studies at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, The Evangeline Oak during the 1927 flood. [2] [3] An entire crop year was lost. Many black tenant farmers, driven from their land by the flood, moved north to cities like Chicago and Detroit, Bradshaw wrote. By the end of January, major tributaries such as the Ohio River were overflowing their banks. The Mississippi River Flood of 1927 Album is a visual record of selected Louisiana losses from the 1927 Mississippi Basin flood. Im holding to my pants.. Another train stood ready to roll if the worst happened, hauling to safety the hardy, or foolish souls who stayed behind, even though water from Bayou des Glaises had inundated nearby Palmetto, LeBeau and Rosa," he wrote. 46, Flood refugees in Yazoo City, Mississippi, on May 13, 1927. A few have crops already growing, and cane and corn are making a brave attempt to put forth fruit despite the late start given them.. Hundreds of sturdy barns, cotton gins, warehouses and farmhouses had been swept away. A new recording of the orchestrated version is included on the Katrina charity album, Our New Orleans, on Nonesuch Records. Sung from the perspective of a nameless resident of the area recounting the flooding of St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes during the flood, "Louisiana 1927" features lyrics that depict the devastation of the residents of those parishes in the aftermath of the flood. The song became identified with Hurricane Katrina in the public consciousness after being sung by Aaron Neville at NBC's "A Concert for Hurricane Relief", being sung by Newman at the multi-network television fundraiser Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, and a fully orchestrated version of the song performed by Newman during Saturday Night Live's "Mardi Gras Special". Here's the latest on Hurricane Katrina. Families and farm animals sought refuge on rooftops, raised railroad beds and levees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 680 square miles (1,800km2), of which 662 square miles (1,710km2) is land and 17 square miles (44km2) (2.5%) is water.[4]. Lafayette served as host to around 26,000refugees in Red Cross centers established in May of 1927, Mouton reported in 1983. One of the great ironies--the great irony of all that is that Greenville, Mississippi, before the flood was easily probably the best city in the South to be a black person. In Louisiana alone, 10,000 square miles in 20 parishes went underwater. I mean, not necessarily down South but this was a huge flood across many states. fpoc . Mr. AARON NEVILLE: (Singing) What have happened down here is the wind have changed. And they didn't write about it. "The last trainload of people pulled out about midnight May 16. Hundreds of sturdy barns, cotton gins, warehouses and farmhouses had been swept away. It rained real hard and it rained for a real long time. He was in charge of disaster relief for the Coolidge administration. John Barry, author of Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 describes the epic disaster. Area code. Most settled for pennies on the dollar, and practically all of them remembered that it was a man-made catastrophe that put them where they were. W.G. Why don't more people know about this? Also touched upon is the callous response of the federal government, depicted here via a fictional visit from President Calvin Coolidge and "a little fat man," where Coolidge's reaction to the devastation is a detached statement that, "isn't it a shame what the river has done to this poor cracker's land. The Daily Advertiser reported floodwaters were racing south due to a main levee break at Moreauville and Bordelonville in Avoyelles Parish. The Mississippi was at flood stage for months. In particular, the narrator lays out the widespread nature of the destruction ("river had busted through clear down to Plaquemines") and the volume of water the flood produced ("six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline"). Evangeline Parish is also served by the Diocese of Lafayette with one school: Additionally, Evangeline Parish is served by one unaffiliated private school: Evangeline Parish is served by one institutions of higher education: The 1086th Transportation Company of the 165th CSS (Combat Service Support) Battalion resides in Ville Platte, Louisiana.
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