Mississippi 465, the main route into Eagle Lake, is expected to be closed sometime Monday night by the Mississippi Department of Transportation, Eagle Lake residents learned Saturday.

“The Mississippi River flooding is going to shutdown 465 between the backwater levee and Highway 61, as you normally have to deal with (during flooding),” MDOT Central District engineer Kevin Magee told more than 100 Eagle Lake Residents at a Saturday morning meeting at the Eagle Lake Volunteer Fire Station. “We’re going to keep it open as long as we possibly can.”

The Mississippi was at 43.5 feet Saturday. It is forecast to reach 44.8 feet Monday and 45.5 feet Tuesday. Portions of Mississippi 465 go under water at 46.5 feet. Flood stage is 43 feet.

“We’re expecting to keep it open all day Monday and let y’all get home from work, get your groceries, get whatever you need and get in,” Magee said. “We are told to expect the road to go under in the night Monday night. We will watch it, and we will close it when we have to close it. When the water goes down, we’ll clean it as quick as we possibly can. We will try and get it opened as quick as we can.”

Warren County Emergency Management director John Elfer said the Saturday meeting was called by county officials in response to calls to his office and reports of rumors about the flood circulating in the Eagle Lake area.

“We called this to get information about the flood out to the residents,” Elfer said. “We had people with a lot of concerns and we wanted to make sure they were addressed.”

Addressing the residents, he told them, “We want you to have factual information. We want to make sure that you’re well-educated, that you have the facts.”

Dianne Klaus, who has lived at Eagle Lake since 1970, said the meeting helped relieve some concerns.

“There were a lot of rumors and a lot of stories going around,” she said.

“I’m glad we had this meeting; it cleared up a lot of issues.”

Johnny Williams, who has lived on the lake all his life, said he came to the meeting “to see if the dam was going to break (whether the Muddy Bayou gates would be open).”

Opening the gates would flood some of the northern portion of Mississippi 465 in Eagle Lake.

Drew Smith, chief of water management for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District, told the residents the Muddy Bayou Gates will not be opened.

“Now that I know that, I’m fine,” Williams said.

Dianne Ashley, who has lived at Eagle Lake since 2006, also said the meeting served its purpose.

“There were a lot of concerns and they were answered,” she said, adding she and her husband Robert, who grew up on the Lake, had no plans to leave. “We love it here and we’re staying.”

Besides Mississippi 465, other issues addressed included:

• Smith said the landside level of Steele Bayou is expected to be from 92 to 93 feet.

“Obviously the gates are closed; the river’s going to be up until late this month, maybe until early April,” he said.

He said the normal rainfall for March is about five inches of rain, which could increase the level to 94 or 95 feet.

“Anything past that would take a tremendous amount of rain,” he said. “The next five to seven days of rain are about normal; about an inch of rain forecast over the state of Mississippi. That’s really good news; that’s what we would expect in March. “Right now, we don’t foresee any issues as far as what Steele Bayou is doing as far as affecting Eagle Lake right now.”

• Peter Nimrod, chief engineer for the Mississippi Levee Board, said the backwater levee can be used as an alternate route from Mississippi 465 to U.S. 61 North.

“Bear in mind it is not a public road,” he said. “We’re going to do the best we can to keep the road graded. This is for light vehicles only.”

He said the levees will be patrolled.

• Capt. Tracy Tullos with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks told residents the main line levee will be closed to traffic to protect wildlife that may be using the levee to escape the flood.

He said wildlife agents are already patrolling flooded areas and will assist local law enforcement officers with patrols in Warren County.

• County fire coordinator Jerry Briggs and Eagle Lake Fire Chief Earl Wallace said fire trucks will be at the station for calls.

Briggs told residents, however, it will take time for the Vicksburg Fire Department’s ambulances to respond to calls in the Eagle Lake area, because they will have to take a detour around Mississippi 465.

He said discussions are underway with officials at University of Mississippi Medical Center to use the center’s AirCare helicopter service.

• Sheriff Martin Pace said deputies will be stationed at Eagle Lake during the flood with deputies working 12-hour shifts.

“We will be assisted by Capt. Tullos and the officers from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the Eagle Lake Volunteer Fire Department will provide full service,” Pace said after the meeting.

“The people of Eagle Lake have always been very cooperative with us and they been through this before. And we’ll make it through together.”