Floodwaters carve deadly trail of destruction

The overflowing Mississippi River dealt anguish to its namesake state Thursday, reaching a historic height at Vicksburg, sending backwater up the Yazoo River, which has swallowed a home owned by the governor, and claiming the life of a 69-year-old man. As the flood’s trail of destruction worked its way south, Vicksburg saw the river crest at the expected peak of 57.1 feet early Thursday, hours ahead of the original forecast. The National Weather Service predicts the crest will hold through at least Saturday morning. "Residents who live along the river need to keep an eye out and be vigilant," said Marty Pope, a senior hydrologist with the weather service’s Jackson, Mississippi, office.