2023 HURRICANE SEASON: INLAND LOUISIANA

With all that has happened, we Louisianans know another major hurricane will test us. There have been so many evacuations and losses on the Gulf Coast these last few years. Coastal families know how to prepare. 

Inland communities need to remember Hurricane Laura and the utility disruptions from the high winds. Hurricane Gustav brought flooding rains to Northeast Louisiana. Each Louisiana Parish and the State have fully developed hazard mitigation plan required under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. Any hazard that may visit upon your community has been analyzed and memorialized in these plans. It's very important you know your risk.

The State of Louisiana employees a lot of talented people to help us prepare, respond and recover. WE ALL NEED TO REMEMBER that it's impossible to evacuate thousands of people, destroy their homes and infrastructure, and expect logistical perfection. It’s not possible.

Inland Louisiana needs to prepare. This includes everyone.

A. Families
B. Special Needs

C. Public and Private Sector
D. Critical Facilities and Infrastructure

I don’t remember a time when it was so important for all of us to prepare. The conflict in Europe has cast a long shadow of uncertainty ahead. For more information on how to prepare, visit Ready.gov and contact your Parish Office of Homeland Security.

NOAA Peak Atlantic Hurricane Season Chart

                       

Source: NOAA, FEMA, GOHSEP and Local Knowledge

Tom M.

Louisiana Levees: "Watch Louisiana Grow"

In my earliest years, we lived on Johnson Street one block north of the papermill in West Monroe, Louisiana. When the papermill whistle blew at noon each day, my grandfather walked home for lunch. He would bring my brother and I, a paper bag hat. I have great memories waiting on the porch for him to come home at lunch.

It was great living next to my grandparents. If I got in trouble, grandmother would try to help me out without overstepping. I had no idea at the time, but that was probably my first introduction to diplomacy. The second came when I was old enough to understand the communication maneuver President John Fitzgerald Kennedy used when responding to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1962. It was about that time I discovered Walter Cronkite and the blue marble. It would be many years later before I appreciated my grandmother’s diplomatic qualities.

There was a wedding photograph in mom’s photo album that always sparked my curiosity. It was a picture of their car with the words “Watch Louisiana Grow” painted on the trunk. I went through my childhood not getting a good answer to what that meant. The day I figured it out, I let it everyone know I figured it out.

In 2022, the City of West Monroe continues to grow and prosper. We have become everything we are under the protection of our levee system. I’m sure this is true in many Louisiana communities. We are very fortunate to have the Tensas Basin Levee District maintaining the levee system and their decades of flood fighting experience. The Ouachita River Levee System has held back some infamous floods including 1945, 1958, 1983 and 1991.

Sometimes I think the bureaucrats in Washington need to be reminded Louisiana has vast natural resources and are part of the revenue stream that supports this nation. Then United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) needs to meet its maintenance obligations. This will ensure communities thrive and generate perpetual operating revenues for the federal government.  

The levees have cultural significance. From their role during the Christmas Celebrations, to the time you counted stars while sitting on the levee.    

The levee system must be maintained.

Ouachita River Levee System History (see source)

The Ouachita River Levee and Floodwall extends from Bastrop, levee station 0+00, in the north to just north of Sandy Bayou in the south, levee station 5585+00, for a total distance of approximately 105.8 miles. In general, the Ouachita River Levee runs along the south bank of Bayou Bartholomew to levee station 700+00 and then follows the Ouachita River along its east bank to the vicinity of Sandy Bayou. A portion of the Ouachita River Levee between the end of the existing levee (levee station 5585+00) and Sandy Bayou is authorized, but has not been constructed.

The Ouachita River Levee from Bastrop (Station 0+00) to Monroe (Station 2270+00) was constructed by the Federal Government under the authority of Section 1 of the Flood Control Act of 1928. This part of the Ouachita River levee system is 43 miles in length. This work was completed in 1934. There were, however, portions of this levee which were not constructed. These no-work reaches are located in areas of high ground between stations 0+00 and 500+00.

The Ouachita River Levee from Monroe (Station 2270+00) south to near Sandy Bayou (Station 5585+00) was construction under the provisions of Section 6 of the Flood Control Act of 1928. This levee was constructed in individual reaches over a period of several years. The last reach was completed in 1937. The length of the levee system is 62.8 miles. Construction was authorized to Station 5900+00; however, the lower 5.9 miles have not been constructed.

The Flood Control act of 1950 incorporated these levees described above into the Ouachita River and Tributaries Project.

The Flood Control Acts of 1950, 1965, and 1966 authorized completion of the no-work reaches within the city of Monroe. Construction consisted of floodwalls and was completed in 1977.

The existing levees, except for the closure of the Monroe Floodwall authorized in 1965 and Levee Enlargement (Station 2270+00 to 2931+49) were generally constructed to a design grade based on the flow line for the 1932 flood, plus freeboard, with a standard cross section dimension of a 10-foot roadway crown with a riverside slope of 1 on 3 and a landside slope of 1 on 4. Since design and construction of the levee system occurred over a number of years, the final grade for various segments of the project are actually based on different flow criteria. During 1955, a restudy of the Ouachita River flow lines was made as part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) review report. The results of this restudy provided the justification for increasing the authorized levee grades to what became known as the 1956 Project Design Levee Grade (the 1956 Project Design Flow Line, plus 3 feet of freeboard). This levee grade was approved by the President, Mississippi River Commission, on 23 December 1955, as an element of the MR&T Review Report which the Office, Chief of Engineers (HQUSACE), reviewed and approved.

The major factors which contributed to raising the levee design grade were an increase in flows on the Ouachita River as a result of extensive drainage improvements to tributary streams and a loss of storage area as a result of construction of the Ouachita River Levee system.

Sources: Newspaper.com, USACE, NOAA, Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America, Tracy Hilburn and Local Knowledge

Tom M.

1932 Flood and the Great Depression: Insights

The day Governor John Bel Edwards closed the schools, it got real for Louisiana. By April of 2020, the onset of the pandemic was being felt across the southland. Nonessential employees stayed home from work, schools were closed, and the nation was on a steep learning curve. If we were to experience a 1930s era depression, a recovery plan would be needed to bring us back from economic ruin.  At that moment no one knew where the bottom to this calamity was. A post pandemic recovery framework was developed.

In the planning process I recalled the 1932 flood in Ouachita Parish and the fact it happened during an economic crisis. There were some parallels between the pandemic and the flood.

The 1932 flood visited upon Ouachita Parish five years after the infamous 1927 flood. There was media reporting in late December the river would make forty feet, by Christmas. The ole river watchers said the river would keep rising and it did. Special meetings were held in the City of West Monroe and the City of Monroe to prepare. With the river above flood stage, the deluge came in January and brought the flood.

Water surrounded First West and you needed a boat on South Grand Steet and the downtown. The flood occurred at a time when Northeast Louisiana was in the throes of the Great Depression. Relief groups were having a hard time meeting basic needs before the flood and it got harder.

City of Monroe Mayor Arnold Bernstein established a committee to coordinate flood relief efforts. The City of West Monroe, Ouachita Parish Police Jury, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Ouachita National Bank and other relief organizations participated.

The relief committee distinguished unemployment relief from flood relief. They focused on the economic problems existing before the flood began. The relief committee managed an economic crisis and an epic flood. There are valuable insights provided by this piece of local history.

Just as we were planning to manage an economic crisis and a health disaster. We know they were successful in 1932. We are still here.

Extra, extra read all about it.

“In April 1932, flood control for West Monroe was the subject of a round-table discussion of the West Monroe Kiwanis club at its weekly meeting. The club is ready to cooperate with engineers in any manner possible, such as making surveys and rights of way, for the purpose of providing West Monroe with protection against floods. Dr. T L. Hood is chairman of the club's flood control committee.” – The Monroe News-Star  

Source: Newspaper.com, Thomas Aiello, Louisiana Historical Association, The Monroe News-Star and local knowledge

Tom M.

The Town Talk
Alexandria, Louisiana
06 Jan 1932, Wed • Page 1

Researched by Tom Malmay

2014 Columbia, MS Christmas Tornado: A grassroots recovery for the people by the people

The Christmas Season is a special time of year in the southland. In the Monroe-West Monroe area, we will celebrate Christmas to exhaustion, savoring every moment. It was December 23rd and I was doing some last-minute gift wrapping when the storm reports started coming in. Columbia, Mississippi had been struck by a violent tornado and there were fatalities and injuries. All I could think about was everyone’s Christmas being swirled and deposited in a heap of rubble.

Then I did what I always do at moments like this. I ask God, “how can this be part of your plan.” Reminding him these were his children, as if he needed to be reminded. God and I go way back on this conversation. On Sunday, June 1, 1997, I got mad at God. I was out counting damaged houses and told him, “I am not in church because I am out here helping your people. You did this. This was your storm that tore the place up. The least you could do is help us with a SBA.” Before the day was over, I did ask for forgiveness. While I may not understand what God does, I believe there is no end to his mercy, and I follow him. We did get an SBA Declaration. I said thank you.

A Response and Recovery Center was established at Woodlawn Church located on Old Highway 98 East in Columbia, Ms. They had established themselves as “Columbia Strong.” Not to long after the tornado the Columbia Strong Recovery Team messaged an URGENT NEED via social media across the south. They needed can openers, the manual kind. As I read the message, I thought how humbling.

The National Weather Service quickly published the tornado track data from their survey. I published the tornado track in a webmap application for the volunteers to use. I had been in contact with Esri and Eight Days of Hope and made plans to travel to Columbia, MS where I linked up with my good friend Stephen Pratt.

From the moment I arrived at the church, I could tell they had a management structure in place. A kid greeted me at the door. He ask me my name and my business. He went inside and got the person I was there to meet. I was then taken inside the church. When I looked around the room, it was like an early 20^th century sepia photograph except the people had IPads and cell phones. They looked like they knew what they were doing. No doubt this organization had structure, and it was grassroots. I was so proud of what I saw. They were helping a lot of people with all kinds of needs. They had no expectation of federal help due to the damage threshold requirements. There was a PA and SBA declaration. The webmap application was being used to help manage donations. Some people lost everything and needed everything.

This was the first of three application designed to catch social media channels. The next version had the track divided into sections for management purposes

Team Rubicon, Eight Days of Hope and Meredith Lee with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) were all there working and helping the people. I was told the local government, Homeland Security and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency ratified this operation by the people and for the people. It was effective and they did a great job. All heroes in my book.

The good people of Columbia, MS adopted Isaiah 9:10 as their mantra following the December 2014 tornado. I heard them speak it and saw it painted on a damaged store front.

Isaiah 9:10 "The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars."

Note: Somewhere on Youtube there is a piece of video of a business being struck by this storm. If you listen, you will hear an authentic 21^st century “rebel yell” as the storm makes impact. Every veteran will understand.

If you find yourself in Columbia, MS and drive by Woodlawn Church, give a salute to those patriots for a job well done.

National Weather Service Storm Database Report

Episode Narrative - During the afternoon of Dec 23, just enough ingredients came together to support numerous severe storms ahead of a cold front. Across the Lower Mississippi River Valley, peak heating contributed to decent instability in the developing warm sector in advance of the front. Sufficient low level wind shear and strong winds aloft were also in place as a decent upper low was located to our north. This helped to support organized thunderstorm activity along with quite a few supercell storms.

A long lived, persistent, storm tracked across the southeastern counties (near Columbia, Mississippi to Sumrall and Laurel to Heidelberg, Mississippi line) and produced multiple tornadoes. Widespread damage occurred in southern Columbia and near Laurel. Additional damage occurred across Marion, Jones and Clarke counties. Sadly, five confirmed fatalities occurred, with three near Columbia in Marion County and two near Laurel in Jones County. Severe storms moved out of the region by late afternoon to early Tuesday evening. The front continued to track through the area through the evening of December 23.

Event Narrative - This tornado first touched down just east of the Pearl River just south of Columbia. It quickly became strong and moved northeast impacting the southeast side of Columbia. The tornado remained on the ground through Marion County before lifting as it approached the Lamar County line. Numerous businesses, homes, mobile homes, a National Guard building and power poles and lines were heavily damaged or destroyed by the tornado. One well-built home was mostly destroyed and nearly reduced to a slab. This home received the highest damage rating. Extensive tree damage also occurred along the path of the storm. Maximum wind speed of this tornado was 165mph.

Special thank you to the National Weather Service and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)

Sources: National Weather Service, Eight Days of Hope, Columbia Strong, MEMA and Team Rubican and local knowledge.

Tom M.

1893 Sea Island Hurricane: Leadership, planning and wisdom

In 2008, I was in Iowa working on an epic flood. Most of the counties were declared federal disasters. This was a hard flood that included tornadoes. Parkersburg, IA was struck by a violent tornado during the flood. One evening in my hotel room, I was researching some late 19^th century disasters for my work. I ran across an article about an East Coast Governor asking the American Red Cross for help. Not only did he ask for help, he showed leadership doing it. I sent an email to myself so I would remember to come back and research this story. Years later, I did finish researching this amazing story.

The August 1893 Sea Island Hurricane was one of the deadliest hurricanes in American History killing an estimated two thousand and leaving thirty thousand homeless. By all accounts the devastation was complete. Benjamin Ryan Tillman was the Governor of South Carolina when the storm struck. The Governor quickly realized the response and recovery needed more coordination. He needed experienced help.

In September 1893, Governor Tillman and his staff met with Clara Barton and her Red Cross team at a hotel in Charleston, SC. Prior to the meeting, the American Red Cross had already assessed the stricken area. She did some reconnaissance like any good soldier or corporate executive would do. Clara Barton went into the meeting knowing more about the storm impact and the needs than the State did.

NOTE – If you’re asking FEMA or the State for help, you need to know more about what happened to your community than they do. Pull your impact data together and analyze. As Art Jones use to say in the 1990s, “document, document, document.” Don’t walk into a meeting knowing less than the other parties. Tell your story with facts.

Governor Tillman and Clara Barton agreed the American Red Cross would take over the response and recover operations. She asked the Governor to leave his management structure in place until the American Red Cross management structure was brought online. They did a joint news release stating the American Red Cross would assume responsibility for the response and recovery operations. 

I have always believed this action by the Governor made him look wise and secure. Clara Barton was smart. Her diplomatic skills were masterful. She helped the people of South Carolina and the Governor.  

Note – Recovery management structures change and evolve over the life of the disaster. 

In a message to the South Carolina General Assembly in November 1893, Governor Tillman suspended tax collection in the devastated area. The Governor had a heart, as well as being wise.

The American Red Cross was founded in 1881. By the time the 1893 struck, the American Red Cross had amassed just over a decade of experience. That experience was brought to bear on the Sea Island Hurricane. Seven years later all their experience would be needed in response to the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. Clara was 79 years old when she arrived in Galveston. She and her team did amazing recovery work. 

Sources: Newspaper.com, Beaufort County Library Records, NOAA, American Red Cross, and the New Georgia Encyclopedia   

Tom M.

OUR FLOOD HISTORY IS TALKING TO US

The Mississippi River highwater conditions in the spring of 2011, rivaled the flood levels of the 1927 flood. This time the levees held. Northeast Louisiana was spared a chocolate tide of water, mud and stench. It’s hard to imagine the economic losses that were prevented. The success in 2011 was a victory that should be remembered and celebrated.

A levee failure damages a region twice. There is the physical damage from the water, then the damage to the brand. People will talk about the levee failure for decades. This is not conducive to economic development. The 5^th Levee District and the Tensas Basin Levee District both stood a vigilant watch in 2011. A reflection of character, tradition and understanding the hardship of a flood. 

This was not the first Mississippi River highwater that justified the call to action in recent years. I recall State Representative Francis Thompson rallying the region during the 1997 highwater and the planning efforts of Tensas Parish Emergency Manager Rick Foster. We all learned about the "Chocolate Tide" scenario together.

In the late summer of 1927, the floodwaters were subsiding. Flood Czar Herbert Hoover rallied the nation for flood control. In an August 1927 interview, he gave an accounting of the flood and talked about legislation to reduce the flooding. A reporter asked, "Then the people of the valley can feel that they can go to sleep in the belief that the problem is solved?". Mr. Hoover responded, "You can never go to sleep on anything in this world. Now is the time as never before to keep efficiently functioning the organization born of this flood disaster."

What was he talking about? What did he mean by, “Now is the time as never before to keep efficiently functioning the organization born of this flood disaster."

President Coolidge had appointed U.S. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover to manage the 1927 flood relief efforts. He coordinated with multiple states, the American Red Cross, the Army and other organizations. He rallied the nation to support relief efforts. He was saying, our team fought the flood, we will recover together, and we will make the case for flood control legislation together.

This is our history talking to us.

We must keep our team born of the 2016 flood disaster together to once again legislate flood risk reduction.

Source: Owensboro Inquirer KY, Newspaper.com, Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America and local knowledge.

Tom M.

The Clarksdale Press Register
Clarksdale, Mississippi
23 Apr 1927, Sat • Page 1

Researched by Tom Malmay

Storm Story: 1989 Hailstorm and Flash Flood

In our storm history, three inch diameter hail has been recorded in Ouachita Parish on at least two occasions. This includes the 1989 hailstorm and flash flood. Hailstorm generates a lot of debris. Following a hailstorm communities need to rapidly clear the drainage network. 

Below are some nuggets of information from the 1989 Hailstorm.

On May 4^th and 5^th 1989, we experienced a hailstorm, followed by a flash flood. This event was federally declared. The story passed down on this storm is the debris from the hailstorm exacerbated the flash flooding.  People drove cars for years the Bonnie and Clyde death car for those old enough to remember. There were not enough roofers. Then there was the cleanup from the flooding. 

Historical Note: In the late 1960s or early 1970s, the Bonnie and Clyde death car was on tour. It came to Monroe, LA. It could be seen in the Sears parking lot on Louisville Avenue. You paid a couple of bucks to walk though the trailer to see the death car. It made quite an impression.

GIS Analyst - The damage area for a hailstorm is referred to as a hail swath. We have talked a lot about our processes to analyze flood inundations areas and tornado track polygons. The hail swath analysis are essentially the same methodology. First map the hail swath, then analyzed the polygon for demographics and businesses estimates within. 

      May 4-5 1989, NWS Storm Report

We have a lot of emergency managers working hard to protect the people. You are appreciated.

Source: National Weather Service, Newspaper.com and local knowledge.

Tom M.

Dread on the Delta: The Mississippi Delta Outbreak of 1971

The Mississippi Delta Outbreak of 1971 produced violent tornadoes in Northeast Louisiana and Mississippi. A lot of lives were lost that February day. About sixteen years ago I met a lady that saw this storm at a planning meeting. From her body language, facial expressions and voice, she saw this storm. From all accounts it was a monster. The storm struck Sunday, February 21, 1971.

When I was a kid our family traveled to Huntsville, Alabama once a year to see relatives. We drove U.S. Hwy 80 and crossed that rickety Mississippi River Bridge with the railroad alongside. My dad would always point out where the tornado crossed the highway.

This is where the storm story begins.

The funnel cloud was first sighted northwest of Crowville, LA in Franklin Parish at 2:45 p.m. The tornado touched down south of U.S. Highway 80 and moved through the Waverly Community at 3:10 p.m. It completely demolishing a farmstead on Jones Bayou, killing 10 members of one family. One surviving youth suffered a broken back. Three other houses and a country church were destroyed. Trees and power lines were downed as the storm moved to the Northeast at 50 mph. into East Carroll Parish. It tracked through unpopulated areas as it closed in on the Melbourne Community.

In the Pecan Road area of the Melbourne Community, located south of Transylvania on LA. Highway 65, homes and trailers were damaged. Farm equipment thrown about, and the Pecan Orchard was heavily damaged. More damage was done, and lives lost as these storms moved into Mississippi.

Severe Weather Plan
Make sure there is a severe weather plan everywhere your family members are. This includes the home, business, school, childcare, church, governmental institutions and anywhere else they may be.

Develop your severe weather plan on a Blue-Sky day.

Source: NWS, Newspaper.com and local knowledge

Tom M.

The Monroe News-Star
Monroe, Louisiana 22 Feb 1971, Mon • Page 1
Researched by Tom Malmay

©2022 Tom Malmay

SOUTHERN LIVING: LOUISIANA RISK REDUCTION

In the summer of 1927, Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover gave an interview where he offered an accounting of the 1927 flood losses. He spoke of a nation receiving an education from the disaster and the need for flood control. The last sentence in his interview reads “Now is the time as never before to keep efficiently functioning the organization born of this disaster.” These words ring true in 2023.

Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi are managing multiple disasters and all the administrative requirements that go along with it. Processes to reduce risks, build capacity, improved workflows and gain efficiency are being put in place out of necessity. Can the remaining capacity of these states and the Stafford Act sustain these ongoing recoveries with additional impacts?

We must reduce our risk to all-hazards across the state.

Last year I met a young family that relocated to North Louisiana from the coast. The mom said they were tired. She said her kid came in from school one day and said, "it's so peaceful here."

In Northeast Louisiana we are fortunate to have people like Karen Cupit and Lisa Richardson working on the Region 3 Louisiana Watershed Initiative. The origin of this effort was the realization that a change in how we mitigate and manage flooding needed to be made.

We must maintain our institutional knowledge from adversity. A Herbert said, “Now is the time as never before to keep efficiently functioning the organization born of this disaster." - 1927 U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Flood Czar and future President Herbert Hoover

Sources: Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America, Newspaper.com and local knowledge

Tom M.

CLIPPED FROM
Messenger-Inquirer
Owensboro, Kentucky
07 Aug 1927, Sun • Page 24
Researched by Tom Malmay

                                                                                                                  ©2022 Tom Malmay

Talking about Severe Weather: Respect Severe Thunderstorms

A lot of talk about severe weather lately. It's Springtime in the southland. Let me tell you about this storm. On May 27, 1997, a severe storm struck Ouachita Parish approaching from the southwest. The NWS estimated winds at 100 kts (115 mph). The wind blew that night. The building I was in had a radio tower on top. The whole building shook for what seemed like forever. KTVE had a brand new doppler radar. It had just been commissioned. Meteorologist Tim Erickson probably saved lives that night. We remember Tim.

There was a corridor of damage from Southwest Ouachita Parish to North Monroe. It was a very large damage area. I remember checking on this mobile home. The fella came to the door and said, "Come in, my daughter is asleep in her room. It's the only room she will sleep in." I looked down the hall where her room was, and the end of the trailer was gone. A tree had fallen and cut the end of the trailer off. And there was no power. Similar damage could be found throughout the damage corridor. I remember Bawcomville being heavily damaged.

Severe thunderstorms are dangerous. Develop your severe weather plan on a blue-sky day. Make sure there is a severe weather plan wherever your family members are.

May 27, 1997, NWS Storm Event Database Report:

A squall line pushed through Ouachita Parish during the evening toppling trees and power lines. Many homes suffered wind damage and roads were blocked by trees. Several people were trapped inside their cars by downed power lines. Over 200 telephone poles were snapped leaving 45,000 people without power. The damage area was nearly 180 square miles which covered much of the southern half of the Parish. In the city and surrounding communities over 400 homes suffered some sort of structural damage. The damage was so severe that Ouachita Parish was put under a declaration of emergency by the governor of Louisiana. The State Department of transportation and Development donated several trucks to help with the clean-up.

Source: National Weather Service, Newspaper.com and local knowledge

Thank you, Shreveport NWS.

Tom M.

The Memphis Martyrs

In mid-January 2020, I was working in my home office and heard a news story on the television in the living room. “Starting January 17, 2020, travelers from Wuhan to the United States will undergo entry screening for symptoms associated with 2019-nCoV at three U.S. airports that receive most of the travelers from Wuhan, China: San Francisco (SFO), New York (JFK), and Los Angeles (LAX) airports.” – Center for Disease Control (CDC) Press Release

I instantly started researching news articles and using my social media tools to find out more. I contacted colleagues from around the country. The conversation was the same. It’s probably here, it’s not yet clearly understood, and we should prepare now, right now.

I recalled the quarantine ordinances adopted by the City of Monroe and the Ouachita Parish Police Jury in 1878. I thought about the 1918 Spanish Flu and the 2001 Saint Louis Encephalitis (SLE). Over the years I have supported prime contractors with dashboard products to track cases and participated in community planning. With my experience working directly with the CDC, public health, emergency management, elected officials and the public, it was clear a national response was going to be challenging.  

As the weeks went by, the cases of coronavirus being reported in the New Orleans area were increasing. There were media reports of a growing number of people from the New Orleans area staying in hotels along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Governor’s began issuing travel restricts to other states. I remembered the story of Memphis and how the people self-evacuated out of fear. History was repeating itself again.

A yellow fever epidemic struck the Mississippi Valley in 1878. New Orleans and Memphis were hit especially hard. Thousands became ill and thousand died in both cities. Newspapers carried the latest updates on the number of cases and deaths. In 1878, no one understood how the disease was transmitted.

The 1878 yellow fever epidemic was the impetus for the City of Monroe and the Ouachita Parish Police Jury in 1878. Checkpoints were established for people entering the parish.

Summer came early to Memphis in 1878. This caused anxiety among the people. They were worried about yellow fever. There are accounts of people writing letters to relatives to schedule vacations. They were afraid and wanted to leave Memphis. Later in the summer, Memphis was struck by the yellow fever epidemic. Following the first fatality an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people fled the bluff city.

There were brave citizens that felt it was their duty to stay behind to help the thousands sick and bury the dead. Many of these brave citizens died. They would later be known as the Memphis Martyrs. Memphis went bankrupt and it would take many years to recover.

A memorial was erected in Memphis to honor these brave citizens.

Sources: The State of Tennessee, Newsaper.com, The yellow fever epidemic of 1878, in Memphis, Tennessee, The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped Our History and CDC.

Tom M.

Image provided by the CDC. Covid-19 graphic.