Flood Control System Working At Capacity

08:57

May 16, 2011

Water diverted from the Mississippi River spills through a bay in the Morganza Spillway in Morganza, La. (AP)

We speak with John Barry, vice president of the South East Louisiana Flood Authority East, who says that the 2011 flood is within the design capacity of the flood protection system, but officials will have to use nearly every element of that system to handle it.

John Barry lives in New Orleans, Louisiana and is author of "Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America."

Nola.com: Floods are a reminder of the Mississippi River's power

This segment aired on May 16, 2011.