Floodwaters roll toward ’last place on Earth that needs high water’

As a historic crest of the swollen Mississippi River rolls southward, residents throughout the river region are on high alert and braced for the possibility of more flooding in the days ahead. Residents and officials are especially concerned about the Morganza Spillway above Baton Rouge, which was last opened in 1973. Opening it could help spare Baton Rouge and New Orleans from some damage, but it would flood populated and rural areas in the swampy Atchafalaya Basin. The basin is home to the Atchafalaya River and myriad tributaries.