Semi-OT Disaster Scenario: Wrestling the Mississippi

[NanbanJim]

I was reading this article (http://www.americaswetlandresources.com/background_facts/detailedstory/LouisianaRiverControl.html) on the efforts to keep the Mississippi River on track and asked myself, "why? Why fight against nature? Why not just let it go where it will?"

When the article got to the why (about halfway down, past most of the maps and before most of the dam pictures), I was immediately brought into a T2k frame of mind. All it takes is one bad winter, and in T2k with the US Army Corps of Engineers "otherwise engaged" (what with simply feeding their families and such)...

[Adm.Lee]

Yup, New Orleans would no longer be a world-class port, and all the agricultural products of the Mississippi-Ohio-Missouri River basins would not have the access to the world markets that they now have. Some historians of geography think that this was one of the greatest advantages the US ever had.

Something else to consider when thinking about Ol' Man River, is the flood-control efforts further upstream, too. Check out the book "Rising Tide" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49376.Rising_Tide?from_search=true about the 1927 floods of the Yazoo River Delta. Essentially, the Mississippi backed up into the Yazoo River and flooded, or threatened to flood, most of the central third of Mississippi state.

I suspect there's some interesting things that could flow (heh) out of this in a campaign centered on the 197th and 194th brigades and the Airlords of the Ozarks.

[Sanjuro]

There is an enjoyable novel by Walter Jon Williams, The Rift, which deals with the disaster caused by the Mississippi breaking free from its constraints. It has the odd WTF moment, but it is mostly convincing.

[jester]

Think about history.

When Grant was attacking Vicksburg he did blow some of the levees along the Mississippi and flooded the surrounding areas. What affect did it have on New Orleans? The Union blockade probably caused more harm.

And the Army Corps of Engineers has ALOT of civilians who are often locals, either local hires, or people they moved to the region and now live there. They would also probably be well aware of what would happen to the area and do what they could to maintain the levees and locks and damns that provide hydro power would be a major resource that could make them a regional power. Hell, even managing a water level to allow traffic, I wager the Mississippi is much bigger than the Vistula and thus a major jewel when it comes to recovery and trade.

As for destruction, destroy the levees, dams or certain locks and up river and you could devastate everything down river, ripping the guts out of the heartland.

I am thinking now of the Yangtze River and its history, until WWII it would flood and kills 100s of thousands at a time earning the nickname "Chinas Sorrow."

[bobcat]

given that the destruction(and sometimes creation) of dams and levies has a long history of being a viable military strategy it would not surprise me if some number of russian nukes during the TDM were actually targeted at flood control facilities. as has already been mentioned on here in many other posts New Orleans is a valuable port city and there are enough strategic production facilities in the flood zone to make such a strike very economical in terms of damage/cost.