Water receding in Vicksburg after Mississippi River peaks at 49.33 Feet

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — After cresting at 49.33 feet today, the waters of the Mississippi River is finally starting to fall — a welcome sight for residents and first responders alike.

For weeks, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the Vicksburg Police Department have patrolled low-lying neighborhoods, including Chickasaw, Long Lake and Ford, keeping watch as the waters crept higher. Police units lined the flooded roadways to deter illegal docking, while Sheriff’s Office deputies navigated boats through the rising current, monitoring homes and checking on residents.

Now, signs of hope are appearing along the riverbanks. Waterlines on trees and porch posts are showing a slow but steady retreat.

“Happy to say the water is falling,” Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said Monday.

Although the water has hit its peak, it will still be well into May before the waters drop below the 35-foot mark. Forty-one percent of the entire North American watershed passes by Vicksburg. The record flood stage for Vicksburg is 57.1 feet, reached on May 19, 2011.

According to Warren County Emergency Management Director John Elfer, Eagle Lake’s Highway 465 will remain closed until next week at the earliest.