As it flows south, swollen, from Illinois toward the Gulf of Mexico — traversing Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana along the way — the Mississippi River threatens to wash away homes, jobs and crops with its impending floodwaters. At least one major destination in its path has averted tragedy, however: Despite near-record water levels, Memphis is open for business, the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCVB) announced yesterday.
This week, after weeks of storms and floods, the Mississippi River reached a height of 48 feet — its highest level in 74 years — and had swollen to six times its normal width, its Memphis diameter totaling more than three miles.
Nonetheless, most of Memphis remains untouched by the fattened river.
"The river may be high, but we are dry," reads a MCVB statement, released Tuesday. "The river crested early today, and business and activities are humming."
Known as the Bluff City, Memphis sits well above the Mississippi; in fact, its downtown core's elevation is approximately 30 feet higher than the water is expected to rise.
Still, some Memphis attractions have been impacted by flooding. In downtown Memphis, for instance, Mud Island River Park is temporarily closed due to a lack of road access. Mirimichi golf course in Millington, Tenn., and the Tunica Casinos in nearby Tunica, Miss., also are closed.
"All other Memphis attractions are open for business as usual," according to MCVB, which said less than 1 percent of Memphis households — approximately 1,500 households — had been impacted by flooding, with most floodwaters affecting unpopulated floodplain that has agricultural or recreational uses.
Also open and unaffected are: all Memphis hotels, Memphis International Airport, all major highways, the entertainment section of Beale Street and even Memphis Riverboats, which are welcoming "record numbers of visitors for an amazing view of the Mighty Mississippi," MCVB said.
MCVB concluded its statement with a comment from Bob Nations Jr., director of the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency, who said, "I want to say this: Graceland is safe. And we would charge hell with a water pistol to keep it that way and I'd be willing to lead the charge."