Mississippi River surge storms Louisiana

MORGAN CITY, La. -- Waters unleashed by the opening of a key Mississippi River floodway crept through the Louisiana bayous Monday in a surge that could leave thousands of homes and farms under as much as 20 feet of water.

In a bit of good news, waters are now expected to crest at slightly lower levels than originally predicted in Morgan City, Butte LaRose and other cities, Gov. Bobby Jindal said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was continuing to open floodgates at the Morganza Spillway in an effort to spare Baton Rouge as well as New Orleans. -- Reuters