EAGLE LAKE — A Case IH tractor in red sits in 2 feet of standing water at Bonelli Circle, near two homes that are only inches from the floodwater’s edge. Billy Whitten, 72, is a farmer who lives on a Valley Park farm and has a weekend home about a mile downhill. He borrowed a neighbor’s water pump to attach to the tractor’s back. The pump is connected to several hundred yards of pipe and pulls water from the flood zone. It then deposits it in the lake just two blocks away. Whitten is just one of several Eagle Lake homeowners who have, with very limited government assistance, taken matters into their own hands and managed to reduce the damage from the worst flood in the area since 1973. Eagle Lake is an unincorporated community located 15 miles north of Vicksburg. It’s built on an oxbow near the Mississippi River. Rising floodwaters are threatening approximately 400 residents and 700 homes. These range from single-wide trailers to multi-million-dollar lake houses to single-wide trailers. Residents bring different skills to the task. Neighbors pay for diesel tanks, which are used to fuel trucks, tractors and other vehicles necessary for mitigation efforts. Some commute to Vicksburg or Rolling Fork several times per week to get groceries and other supplies. Every day, a few women cook big meals and dinners for volunteers. The Monday lunch menu featured chicken and dumplings, green beans, and cornbread to feed the hungry workers who had hauled sandbags all day. Through their efforts, all but three homes have been saved from flooding over the past few weeks. Residents fear that the worst is yet to come as heavy rains are expected for this weekend and rivers in the region continue to rise. “Everybody is trying to pitch in. Whitten stated that everyone is doing their best. “But I fear that what we are doing down there is not going to help. It’s not possible to just sit there and do nothing. At the very least, you have to be able say you tried. It’s all that we can do.” State officials and Warren County have offered limited support. Warren County Board of Supervisors approved the distribution of sandbags and sandbags. Eight inmates at the Issaquena Regional Correctional Facility filled them. One Warren County sheriff’s deputy is always present at the lake. The residents faced widespread destruction and loss of property and decided to take matters into their own hands by creating a flood mitigation plan using the resources available. The residents borrowed 11 pumps from a variety of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as farmer friends. The pumps are moved between flood areas depending on the speed of the water rising and the number of people affected. The group doesn’t adhere to any legal or common engineering standards. The floodwater rose several weeks ago, causing damage to the lakeshore and two homes. The group took large stones from a yard to plug the culvert. To prevent the water from eroding shores, they used sandbags to take sheet metal from another yard. This would have caused the homes to sink into the lake. They have deployed over 50,000 sandbags in the area and plan to add tens of thousands. Eagle Lake Shore Road is lined with sandbags for more than two miles. Eagle Lake resident Tommy Parker said, “If it wasn’t for the inmates filling that sandbags… we’d already have been underwater.” He has coordinated flood prevention efforts over the past few weeks. Eagle Lake is not the only area in the south Delta at risk of flooding. However, due to its geographical location, it is more likely to be the case. This spring, record-setting river stages were created by heavy rains and snowmelt in the Midwest. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shut down the Steele Bayou control structures, located just north of Vicksburg on February 15 to prevent the Mississippi River’s back up into the Delta. When heavy rainfall occurs between Vicksburg, the state’s northern border, the rainwater can flow out of the Steele Bayou structure into the Yazoo River. This funnel-shaped area is bordered to the west by the mainline Mississippi River Levee and to the east by the Yazoo Backwater Levee. The gates were closed and the water was forced to flow. It gathered in the low-lying Delta farmland, from the Steele Bayou to the southern stretches Washington and Humphreys. The Mississippi River fell below its backwater level on April 1, allowing the Army Corps the opportunity to open the Steele Bayou. The river didn’t fall significantly, so drainage has been slow. The Army Corps of Engineers might have to close the gates once more as the river rises. According to the Mississippi River Levee Board, relief may not come until July. Eagle Lake is located near the bottom of this funnel-like area so the likelihood of flooding from such an event is greater. Despite the best efforts of residents, chances of avoiding major structural damage are deteriorating every hour. Heavy rain continues to fall and talk of closing the Steele Bayou Gates is continuing. On Thursday, Eagle Lake and other areas in the south Delta were soaked to at least four inches. Eagle Lake could be in for a disaster as several inches of rain are expected to fall over the next few days. Parker stated that they are watching the water rise around them on Thursday. Since March 8, the mandatory evacuation order has been in effect for the town. Although the state law doesn’t require residents to evacuate, it does mean that emergency services cannot be guaranteed by the local government. Earl Wallace, chief at Eagle Lake’s volunteer fire department is the only full-time emergency service professional on the lake. Residents who have an emergency would need to call the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. They can usually arrive within 20 minutes. An ambulance from Vicksburg could be requested if the UMMC helicopters are on other calls, or if conditions are poor. This can take up to an entire hour. Normally, there are many highways leading to the lake. However, flooding has shut down all but one route: The Mississippi River levee. Some of it isn’t paved. Floodwaters have made it difficult for wildlife to leave their natural habitats. This has resulted in a one-hour drive from the lake to town that was normally easy. The closed roads mean that children must walk for one and a half hours to get from Eagle Lake to their school. Some residents are worried that their flood mitigation efforts may just delay the inevitable due to the weather forecast. Wallace stated, “It all feels lost, but I’m going for the bitter end.” This is about to get worse. “Ain’t it?” Support this work by making a regular donation to our Spring Member Drive. This will allow us to continue important work such as this one.