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| Mississippi Flood Threatens Angola Prison |
| By associatedcontent.com - Charles Simmins |
| Published: 05/19/2011 |
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Levees Should Hold; 1,900 Inmates Evacuated as a Precaution Nestled in a hairpin turn of the Mississippi River, the 18,000 acre Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP) is surrounded by water on three sides. The prison, known as Angola to criminals nationwide, is the largest maximum security prison in the United States, with 5,000 inmates and 1,800 staff. It sits on the east bank of the river upstream from the Morganza Spillway. Pam LaBorde, communications director for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, was able to provide information about the prison's response to the record flooding on the Mississippi River. The river is expected to crest at 64.5 feet May 22. She reports that the 12 miles of levees that encircle the prison are between 68 and 73 feet in height. The river is not expected to overtop the levees. Sand boils represent a different threat. They weaken the levee and create a spot where the river could breech the flood protection. The National Guard has located at least 100 sand boils in levees in northern Louisiana, according to the Defense Imagery & Video Distribution System, and the numbers are expected to grow as the flood crest moves south. Read More. |
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