It all depends on the Morganza decision

According to the 10 o'clock news tonight, all of Baton Rouge will be safe if they open Morganza Spillway, and most of it will be fine even if they don't.  So if they don't? . . . well, check out that blue potential flood area on the map shown below.  The line along the right side of that blue area is Highland Ridge (Highland Road) and the land North, East and South of there is high enough to be safe.  The weatherman's point was that almost none of Baton Rouge is at risk - just that blue area . . . but that was hardly comforting to me since we live right next to the river smack in the middle of that blue area!   

But I guess there's no point in worrying until a final decision is made about whether Morganza Spillway is going to be opened.  And there have been more and more comments indicating that it WILL be opened.  Here's another one out tonight: 

LSU at risk if Morganza Spillway stays closed

May 09, 2011 5:55 PM CDT
NORCO, LA (AP) -
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official says LSU and other infrastructure south of Baton Rouge would be flooded if the Morganza Spillway isn't opened to divert water from the Mississippi River.

Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh - president of the Mississippi River Commission and commander of the Vicksburg, Miss.-based division of the Corps - told lawmakers Monday that the Corps likely will open Morganza sometime between Saturday and Tuesday.

Walsh also predicted potential overtopping of the levees at various sites along a 200 mile-stretch south of Baton Rouge if the spillway wasn't used.

Walsh says the Morganza Spillway would likely be used at 50 percent of its capacity, or 300,000 cubic feet per second. The Bonnet Carre, which was partially opened Monday morning, will be used at full capacity.   (Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

So . . . we'll see what happens.