A River’s Wrath Unleashed
In the spring of 1927, the Mississippi River overflowed its banks, creating the most devastating flood in U.S. history. By the time the waters receded months later, 27,000 square miles across seven states were submerged. The disaster displaced around 637,000 people, mostly Black sharecroppers, and caused financial losses of up to $1 billion. Between 250 and 1,000 lives were lost.
Levees Blown to Save New Orleans
On April 29, authorities detonated a levee at Caernarvon, Louisiana, to spare New Orleans from destruction. The blast sent a wall of water into rural St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, leaving thousands homeless. The explosion, captured in a now-famous black-and-white photograph, looked like a scene from the battlefields of World War I.
The Nation Watches—And Moves On
With radio bringing live updates, Americans followed the crisis in real time. But public attention soon shifted. On May 20, Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight captured headlines, pushing flood coverage aside.
A Disaster of Human Making
While many blamed nature, Southern journalists pointed out that deforestation, wetland destruction, and poor flood management had exacerbated the catastrophe. The flood demonstrated the consequences of unchecked environmental intervention—an issue that would resurface with Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
In the spring of 1927, the Mississippi River overflowed its banks, creating the most devastating flood in U.S. history. Water covered 27,000 square miles, displacing 637,000 people, mostly Black sharecroppers. Levees broke, entire towns vanished, and a desperate government took… pic.twitter.com/8SEKrwiAiW
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