Wednesday, June 12, 2019

CHS Asks for Yazoo Flooding Relief

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith issued the following statement. 


U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today asked President Trump to approve the use of temporary pumps in the Yazoo Backwater Area to begin removing floodwaters that have contaminated the region for months on end.


In a letter sent Wednesday to the President, Hyde-Smith summarizes the statutes, presidential disaster declaration, and emergency funding available to support the installation of temporary pumps to begin draining flooded areas of the South Mississippi Delta.

“There is an immediate need to remove the trapped floodwaters, which can only be accomplished by pumping it from the protected side of the levee system,” wrote Hyde-Smith, who serves on Senate appropriations subcommittees with jurisdiction over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“Given the available resources and existing authorities under current law, I respectfully request that you direct FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal agencies to take swift action to install temporary pumps in the Yazoo Backwater Area of Mississippi to remove floodwaters until a long-term solution is constructed,” she wrote.

It is not uncommon for FEMA to assign the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dewatering missions following major flood events.  Temporary pumps were used to remove floodwaters following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy.

President Trump on April 23 approved a major disaster designation for Mississippi, which included damage resulting in floodwaters trapped within federally-constructed levees and floodgates.  Roughly 860-square-miles of the state have been flooded for more than four consecutive months with disastrous results for homeowners, businesses, farmers, communities, and the environment.

Hyde-Smith said recently enacted FY2019 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act provides sufficient funding to deploy temporary pumps in the near future, as efforts continue to force a reconsideration of the Environmental Protection Agency 2008 veto that stopped development of the Yazoo Backwater Pump project.

Hyde-Smith’s letter to President Trump is available below and here.

June 12, 2019

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing to request emergency assistance in response to catastrophic flooding affecting the lives, property, and general wellbeing of thousands of Mississippians. 

Contaminated floodwater trapped inside of Mississippi’s intricate system of federally-constructed levees and floodgates has inundated roughly 860 square miles for more than four consecutive months.  Persistent high water on the Mississippi River, excessive rainfall within the 4,093-square-mile drainage area, and the lack of a federally-authorized yet unconstructed pumping station to remove water has resulted in devastation across a large portion of the state.  There is an immediate need to remove the trapped floodwaters, which can only be accomplished by pumping it from the protected side of the levee system.

As result of this flooding and other severe weather events, you approved on April 23, 2019, a major disaster declaration for the State of Mississippi under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.  The Stafford Act authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to direct other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to use available personnel, supplies, and other resources to provide assistance in the event of a major disaster declaration by the President.  In addition, the Corps of Engineers has independent statutory authorities, such as section 5 of the Flood Control Act of 1941 (33 U.S.C. 701n), to provide direct assistance in the form of portable pumping stations to remove trapped, contaminated water sources.  Following Hurricane Katrina, for example, the Corps of Engineers installed a number of temporary pumps to remove the floodwaters from New Orleans, and to remain in place until permanent pump stations could be constructed.

The Fiscal Year 2019 Supplemental Appropriations Act enacted on June 6, 2019, provides $1.0 billion for the Corps of Engineers to carry out emergency response activities authorized under section 5 of the Flood Control Act of 1941.  It also provides $575 million for the Corps to address emergency activities within the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) project area, which the flooded area of Mississippi falls within.

Given the available resources and existing authorities under current law, I respectfully request that you direct FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal agencies to take swift action to install temporary pumps in the Yazoo Backwater Area of Mississippi to remove floodwaters until a long-term solution is constructed. 

I greatly appreciate your leadership in addressing the national disasters and emergencies that have beset the nation.  I look forward to continuing to work with you and your Administration to help the people of Mississippi affected by the ongoing flood disaster in my state.

###

22 comments:

Rod Knox said...

Someone suggest to CHS that she recommend installing some fans across the area to speed up drying the land for planting and picnics on the 4th.

Anonymous said...

MS needs help. CHS is at least trying to do something.

Anonymous said...

They need to start looking at other ideas. The pumps will never happen.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the MS River forecast has a 2+ foot drop from 6/14 to 6/25. If so and with some delay, a Trump ok might not hurt folks down river of the “temporary pumps.”

However, if the folks south fear the pumping and there’s a good chance they will be damaged, it is going to be very hard for Trump to grant CHS’s request.

This one might end up like the 3 or 4 of the 5 County Supervisors approving a very unpopular dirt pit, development, etc., while the supervisor that represents the area to be affected gets to vote no and avoid voter wrath come election time.

If of course Trump thinks he can win MS without the south MS Delta vote.

Anonymous said...

He’ll never read that, it’s waaaaay too long and doesn’t have any pictures. She should’ve gone on Fox and friends and just asked him.

Anonymous said...

The Smithsonian is proud to present its latest exhibit, "The Correspondence of Cindy Lou-Who and The Donald - A Retrospective of Banality."

HALLELUJAH! Mississippi is saved! Oh, wait, has Tate, et al, had a chance to put their private parts on the anvil in Mars' shop yet? Eh, it doesn't matter - SHOW ME THE MONEY...er...TROUGH!

Anonymous said...

"The pumps will never happen"....

Oh, you mean like the pumps that the Corps has installed everywhere else up and down the river?

This is the pumping information for each of the four backwater areas in the Lower MS River Valley as of June 10,2019

1. St. Francis Backwater Area (Huxtable)-125 continuous days of pumping.
2. White River Backwater Area (Graham-Burke)-144 continuous days of pumping.
3. Red River Backwater Area has 3 pumps:
a. Tensas-Cocodrie-180 continuous days of pumping
b. Fool River-86 continuous days of pumping
c. Ha Ha Bayou-125 continuous days of pumping
4. Yazoo Backwater Area-0 days of pumping which has resulted in 550,000 acres flooded.

Anonymous said...

12:25, this intel is very interesting. Is there information on each pumping site that can be replicated, such as sizenof pumps, area drained, cost (fixed and variable) how they are powered, etc.?

Anonymous said...

@12:25 AM said:

“This is the pumping information for each of the four backwater areas in the Lower MS River Valley as of June 10,2019

1. St. Francis Backwater Area (Huxtable)-125 continuous days of pumping.
2. White River Backwater Area (Graham-Burke)-144 continuous days of pumping.
3. Red River Backwater Area has 3 pumps:
a. Tensas-Cocodrie-180 continuous days of pumping
b. Fool River-86 continuous days of pumping
c. Ha Ha Bayou-125 continuous days of pumping
4. Yazoo Backwater Area-0 days of pumping which has resulted in 550,000 acres flooded.”



Thanks 12:25, as this is one of the most valuable pieces of information posted on any of these threads regarding the south MS Delta flooding and pumps; and it provides a key insight to the problem.

Construction of the MS River levees in the first place, pump stations listed above and elsewhere, etc. would be a classic “camel’s nose under the tent” situation, except that construction of the levees in the first place was no “small, seemingly innocuous act.”

Pumping means winners and losers so south delta property owners, CHS, Bennie, Phil, Tate, et al should use the tactic of pounding the table with requests that all pumping north of Steele Bayou be discontinued so the MS River can go down and everyone can get rid of their backwater in an equitable manner.

Of course this will not happen, but they may just get help from politicians representing the pumpers up north if they feared this could actually happen then joined them and use their pull to allow the Yazoo backwater to be put off on the others down south.

Highwater Mark said...

Better idea. Move those delta folks out of that river bottom and let it back up. It would cost less and you wouldn’t be dumping more polluted water into the Mississippi Sound killing our economy. Downstreamers unite and tell upstream folks who build in river bottoms and flood plains to handle their own poor development problems in their own backyard aka floodplains.

Anonymous said...

So let's recap:

1. Lots of rain
2. Rivers rise
3. Rivers breach the banks into the flood plains
4. People, animals and things in the flood plains get flooded
5. Politicians ask the Fed for money
6. The "dear friends" of politicians belly up to the trough
7. Rinse (pardon the pun) and repeat

Which one of the above was an unforeseen event?

Anonymous said...

What hasn't even been talked about that will be catastrophic for the south delta is the infrastructure and the hardwood trees in Delta National Forest, Panther Swamp NWR, and the other State and Federal Wildlife management areas as well as private lands. Most people in the state don't know but that area has one of the biggest/continuous blocks of virgin river bottom hardwoods in the US. Oak trees aren't supposed to stay under water, and especially in this heat, for this long. It could possibly decimate them. Also, roads. Road beds aren't supposed to be under water for this long either. Its going to be a mess when the water recedes.

Anonymous said...

Odd how people that are so "conservative" don't want the government to spend money but then want billions of dollars so people living and farming at the edge of a swamp or river can have 6 inches less of water on their property.

Kingfish said...

Even under a strict libertarian view, flood control is a natural government function.

Anonymous said...

What's the strict libertarian view on all the upstream farmers continually laying more tile to better drain their fields? The water discharged from that tile does impact river levels downstream.

Some of the upstream Republican Governors want their Uncle Sugar to build them higher levees to keep the waters off their floodplains. That would impact both upstream and downstream property owners. What's the best libertarian way to balance to all these competing demands for Uncle Sugar to take action?

Anonymous said...

KF wrote, "[F]lood control is a natural government function."

I would dispute that, but in any case, sometimes "flood control" means "controlling" those who would put their stuff in a natural flood zone rather than attempting to control the flooding. I would suggest that a libertarian would allow those wish to take their chances to do so but make it very clear that they did so at their own risk.

Generally speaking sh*t flows downhill unless something gets in the way said...

Levee districts vs drainage districts. An expensive spy vs spy exercise?

Anonymous said...

Socialist!!!

Anonymous said...

It would be much cheaper to buy the land and add it to the National Forest. It makes no sense to commit to spend billions of taxpayer money to keep water off a few dozen farms. The pumps would release a massive amount of pollution downstream that would harm Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast which would cost more billions of dollars in damages to other people.

Anonymous said...

With all the tariffs being collected money should not be a problem. Let's get er done.

Anonymous said...

Ole Minnie Pearl, bless her little heart. She needs to use some of that tariff money to fix her underbite.

Anonymous said...

Does a levee work better if it's flying the Stars and Bars? If so then Minnie Pearl outta get busy!



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