Louisiana Residents Prepare For Floodwaters

03:54

May 16, 2011

Ty Fontenot, left, and his brother Aron build a wall of sand bags around their home in Krotz Springs, La., Sunday in advance of forecasted flooding of the Mississippi river brought on by the opening of the Morganza Spillway north of town. (AP)

The water is beginning to rise in Louisiana's Cajun Country, following the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to open a series of floodgates over the weekend. The intention is to divert Mississippi floodwater away from more heavily populated and industrialized Baton Rouge and New Orleans farther downriver. But as many as 4,000 homes in rural Louisiana could be submerged by 20 feet of water in the coming weeks. One of the first areas to see the waters start rising is Krotz Springs, where about 1,000 people live.

We speak with Angel Guillory, resident of Krotz Springs, Louisiana. She has marshaled family and friends to help feed hot meals to National Guardsmen building a levee in their community.

This segment aired on May 16, 2011.