River could fall below 43 today DiamondJacks casino reopens

Published 11:45 am Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Mississippi River at Vicksburg stood at 43.6 feet this morning, about a half-foot above flood stage, and was predicted possibly to fall below that stage today — unofficially ending on the books the Great Mississippi River Flood of 2011.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ gauge at Vicksburg today showed the river had dropped a half of a foot in 24 hours. The river has not been below the 43-foot flood stage at Vicksburg since May 1.

The National Weather Service, however, continued to predict the drop below 43 feet will come Friday.

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The river at Vicksburg crested May 19 at 57.1 feet, the highest since the Great Flood of 1927.

As the level dropped, normalcy continued to creep back into Vicksburg.

On Wednesday, DiamondJacks Casino, closed since May 9, reopened, bringing Vicksburg’s casinos back to full swing.

“I think you’ll find that Vicksburg and DiamondJacks are ready to roll out the welcome mat for our guests,” said Felicia Gavin, executive director and general manager of the casino, during a reopening ceremony Wednesday.

More than 200 casino employees, all of whom were paid by the casino throughout the flood and 36-day shutdown, volunteered more than 600 hours with six charitable organizations during the closure, the company said. They included Child and Parent Center, Good Shepherd Community Center, the Vicksburg Warren Humane Society and the Salvation Army, all in Vicksburg, Christian Volunteer Services, in Port Gibson, and Stewpot Community Services in Jackson.

Most of the casino’s damage is to the river-side part of the building, previously used for concerts and meetings.

The Washington Street casino, at the confluence of the river and the Yazoo Diversion Canal, was the first of two Vicksburg gaming venues to close due to the river’s rise. Rainbow Casino reopened May 27 after a two-week closure. Ameristar and Riverwalk built temporary floodwalls and were open throughout. Grand Station, formerly Horizon, opened June 2 but had been closed since March for renovations.

Mayor Paul Winfield and Bill Seratt, executive director of the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, said reopening DiamondJacks will mean marketing the city for tourism becomes easier.

“We’re excited to see you back open,” Winfield said. “I can stand here today and tell you that you guys are a great example of what we have here in our community and our state to show we have what it takes to be successful.”

“There were many images of Vicksburg that were disturbing — many of those justifiably so,” Seratt said. “The main tourism products remained open through the entire 2011 flood.”

About 25 community leaders, working as part of a long-term recovery committee, met for a second time Wednesday and planned another gathering for next Wednesday. The panel must create an executive committee, develop a mission statement, discuss fundraising ideas and develop its bylaws.

“I think, basically, the people who are going to come to the front are those people who want to work, want to see things happen in the community and are going to work to make that happen,” said United Way of West Central Mississippi Executive Director Barbara Tolliver, who has led the meetings.

Assistance to individuals and households paid out in Warren County totals more than $1.1 million, according to FEMA.

On the federal level, a congressional House panel OK’d $1 billion in emergency money to repair levees and other flood-control projects damaged by the devastating flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., said billions of dollars more will be needed once full Corps estimates are in for repairing breached levees and other flood-control projects.

The cost of the amendment was offset by cutting $1 billion in unspent money from President Barack Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus measure. The money had been intended for high speed rail projects. The spending boost came as the House Appropriations panel approved a $31 billion spending bill funding water projects and Energy Department programs. The Senate panel has yet to act.

In Louisiana, the state’s military department expects to spend nearly $8 million through this month to respond to the Mississippi River flooding and the preparation for high waters around the state. Costs include activating more than 1,100 Louisiana National Guardsmen and of providing fuel, supplies and aviation support for the response efforts.

More than $7 million is to be allocated from Louisiana’s emergency response fund to cover the costs, the Legislature’s joint budget committee agreed Wednesday.

About $11 million would be left in the emergency fund after the allocation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.