By Eileen Fleming
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wwno/local-wwno-968792.mp3
New Orleans, La. – One of the 250 bays on the Morganza Spillway north of Baton Rouge is open for the first time since 1973. More will open in coming days as the U-S Army Corps of Engineers diverts the swollen Mississippi River away from cities. The plan will inundate about 3,000 square miles of rural Cajun country through the Atchafalaya River basin to the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal urges residents to follow instructions from local officials on when to leave their homes. It will take a few days for the water to reach communities closest to the Gulf of Mexico. The Corp will open one or two more bays Sunday. Officials expect high water levels on the Mississippi for the next few weeks and the spillway to remain open.
For WWNO, I'm Eileen Fleming.