People look on as water from the rising Mississippi River is released through the Bonnet Carre Spillway while washing out a road May 9, 2011 in Norco, Louisiana. The Army Corps of Engineers began redirecting part of the Mississippi River through the spillway today to lower river levels and reduce pressure on levees in order to avoid a catastrophic failure. The water will flow nearly 6 miles north before emptying into Lake Pontchartrain as the Mississippi rises close to the highest level ever upriver in Memphis. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

People look on as water from the rising Mississippi River is released through the Bonnet Carre Spillway May 9, 2011 in Norco, Louisiana. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

An airboat patrols as the rising Mississippi River is released through the Bonnet Carre Spillway May 9, 2011 in Norco, Louisiana. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The height of the Mississippi River is guaged as water from the rising river is released through the Bonnet Carre Spillway May 9, 2011 in Norco, Louisiana. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)