Date April 1979 | Total number of deaths 4 | |
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Property damage $500 million then$1.65 billion today Similar 1997 Red River flood, 1998 China floods, March 1913 tornado o, Great Mississippi Flood of 1, Boscastle flood of 2004 | ||
The 1979 Easter flood was among the most costly and devastating floods ever to occur in Mississippi, with $500-700 million in damages. This is equivalent to $1.65 billion in present-day terms. It was the result of the Pearl River being overwhelmed by severe rain upstream. Floodwaters sent the Pearl 15 feet above flood stage. More than 17,000 residents of Jackson, Flowood, Pearl, Richland and other communities were forced from their homes. The flooding of the Pearl River placed most of Jackson, the state's capital city, under water.
Contents
The river
The Pearl River is 490 miles long. It begins in Winston County, Mississippi and ends at the Mississippi Sound. Northeast of Jackson, the man-made Ross Barnett Reservoir is formed by a dam in the Pearl River. It flooded due to abnormally high rainfall in the preceding months (up to 150% more than usual). The water level reached a record-setting 43.28 feet on April 17, 1979.
Present
Flood stage at Jackson in 1979 was considered to be 18 feet (relative to the gauge datum on Pearl River), but as of 2004, this stage was set as 28 feet.