Floodwaters Devastate Mississippi Delta

The rising Mississippi River has heaped more misery on one of the poorest regions in America. Hundreds of people have been forced from their homes in the Mississippi Delta as the floodwaters approach record levels, washing out farms and roads, the AP reports. All 300 homes in Tunica Cutoff, an hour south of Memphis, have been flooded and the swamped community may never be rebuilt, CBS reports.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour—who has described the wall of water moving south as a "pig in a python"—has urged Delta residents to leave their homes if they believe there is any chance of flooding. "More than anything else, save your life and don’t put at risk other people who might have to come in and save your lives," he said, asking local officials to seek out people who have no phone or electricity and may not have heard about the flood risk. (More Mississippi River stories.)