Last year (2011) we had a trip planned that would take us
from Nashville to Memphis and down into Louisiana, following the flow of the
Mississippi. At that time, we abandoned
that trip because there was so much flooding along the Mississippi. The river was overflowing its banks
everywhere. We did get to New Orleans on
that trip and Lafayette, LA. Both were
being threatened by the waters of the river. We left the area before there was
any problem. And when we returned the
waters had receded.
And through the drought of 2012, the waters of the
Mississippi continued to recede. As I
sit here in Arkansas and look at the TN border across the river, it seems so much closer – there is land where
there was once water. And we have not
yet seen any barge traffic. By this
time, in the past, we would have seen at least a few barges moving in each
direction. But, for now the river is
quiet – and smaller than I have ever seen it.
The effects of this drought will be felt in so many ways,
for such a long time. It migh actually
be worse than the floods of 2011.
Update: There has
been a bit more traffic than my first impressions led me to conclude. However, the barge rafts seem to be much
smaller, having seen only two that had between 15 and 18 barges. Most are much smaller. The push boats seem to be traveling very,
very slowly - slower than I remember. And all the barges seem to
be riding higher in the water, implying a light load. So, there is barge traffic on the Mississippi,
but, it seems to be a bit slower and lighter than I remember it.
