The small southern town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi has big pride in the blues legend Muddy Waters who called their sweet patch of earth home. There’s a mural that boasts the image of their beloved music artist as well as a memorial dedicated to his life and the music he loved. These historic treasures are threatened by the wiles of nature, however. Once before, in 1927 there was a devastating flood that left Muddy Water’s hometown submerged in just that – muddy waters of the Mississippi River. Yet, the memories of this catastrophe remain crystal clear.
Recollections of the overflowing past evoke fear in some of the residents. Currently, there is uncertainty about the strength of Rolling Fork, Mississippi’s backwater levee dubbed Yazoo. Residents wonder if it will be able to hold back the currents of the river. Despite assurance from the Army Corps of Engineers that the levee will hold, residents like Cynthia Prestianni are boxing up their belongings and evacuating. Prestianni shared, “I’m in disbelief that this is actually happening. I didn’t think that I’d ever see this in my lifetime…I hope [the levee] hold[s]. If not, it’s going to be total devastation.”
