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Vicksburg, Mississippi - The temporary walls erected at Vicksburg to hold back floodwaters were under fresh strain on Sunday as Mississippi River water levels set new records.
One day after officials opened a floodway downriver to speed the flow through the lower Mississippi Valley and spare two of Louisiana's largest cities, the water at Vicksburg hit 56.48 feet on Sunday, more than an inch above the record 56.2 feet set in 1927, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Experts say the river will rise another foot still in Vicksburg before May 19, when it is expected to crest at 57.5 feet -- 14.5 feet above flood level.
The atmosphere in Vicksburg on Sunday remained remarkably calm with the police station closed, although the 911 emergency dispatch line remained open.
The Mississippi, swollen by a rainy spring and melt from an especially snowy winter, continues to rise as it moves south.