As the waters of the Mississippi River continue to rise and directly effect the Atchafalaya, the St. Mary Parish Levee District has declared a state of emergency. But, what exactly does that mean? Well, it's actually a good thing should the situation get really bad.

The St. Mary Parish Levee District made the emergency declaration, which gives the parish access to about $5 million in emergency funds. After dealing with serious flooding back in 2011, they've decided to make sure they have what's needed to make it through.

From KATC -

"We declared a state of emergency, which will allow us to spend whatever moneys are necessary in order to keep the people from flooding," says Bill Hidalgo, St. Mary Parish Levee District President.

And while the estimated $5 million price tag might sound like a lot of money, many in attendance say they're willing to do whatever it takes, no matter the cost, after dealing with similar flooding just a few years ago.

"We anticipate that there is an opportunity for it to be as high as it was back in 2011.  And what would motivate that change would be the opening of the Morganza Spillway, which was done in 2011," says Hidalgo.

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