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Five of the costliest US river floods

The 2011 Mississippi River flood, which has broken records in some places, is creating steady destruction in America's midsection. Hurricanes tend to cause more financial damage, and flash floods typically take more lives. But overflowing rivers deliver a long, slow economic punch. Arkansas farmers have lost an estimated $500 million in crops to this year's flood. Mississippi homes and catfish farms – a leading industry – are threatened. In Louisiana, the diversion of water through a spillway to spare Baton Rouge and New Orleans still puts hundreds of homes, businesses, and chemical plants and oil refineries at risk. Total damages could run into the billions. Here's a look at five of the most expensive river floods in the US, according to estimates from the National Weather Service and historical accounts (reported in 2011 dollars):
In Pictures: Mississippi River floods
The Oscars 2011: How real are the reality-based Best Picture nominees?

Four of the 10 features on the Best Picture slate are based on real characters and events: The King’s Speech, The Fighter, The Social Network, and 127 Hours. Here are some facts behind the true-life stories contending for this year’s Best Picture Academy Award.
Gallery: Will these Republicans run in 2012?
In Pictures: NFL draft 2011 prospects

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Mysterious Gulf oil sheen: Where did it come from?

Scientists can't yet determine where the 10-mile stretch of oil sheen found Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico originated, but they have ways of finding out. Shell oil is investigating.
Flood warnings for Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri

Heavy rains and flooding are forecast to continue in eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and western Missouri, says the National Weather Service.
Health-care fraud crackdown nets $4.1b. Is that a lot?

Officials say nearly $4.1b was recovered last year in the health-care fraud crackdown, an Obama priority, but it's unclear if that reflects the success of law enforcement or the magnitude of the problem.
BCS National Championship Game: LSU vs. Alabama in football rematch heaven (+video)

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Christopher Hitchens: 'God is not great' - but bookmobiles are

Author and staunch atheist Christopher Hitchens died yesterday, Vanity Fair reported. How did the man who could write on everything begin his life of learning? The bookmobile – a vital entity now in danger of becoming obsolete. Hitchens' mind was a testament to their ongoing necessity.
Culture Cafe
Duran Duran fans spend hard

As the British rock band tours North America, long-time Duran Duran followers – mostly women – are crisscrossing the country and dolling up to watch their greying idols up close.
Help wanted. But only if you have a job.

Help wanted with a twist: Some firms won't even consider hiring someone who doesn't already have a job. But unemployed can better their job prospects.
New Orleans finds tropical storm Lee is no Katrina

So far, tropical storm Lee hasn't been a weather monster. Its rains brought relief to a drought in southern Louisiana and quenched a marsh fire that had blanketed New Orleans with smoke.
Teaching creationism: Louisiana law that skirts US ban survives challenge

The Louisiana law allows teaching contrary to evolution on the grounds it promotes critical thinking, a proposition ridiculed by scientists. Similar legislation is being debated in other states.
After Mississippi floods and Joplin tornado, some hard-hitting geography lessons

Amid a spate of natural disasters, the latest crisis on the Mississippi has reminded Americans that the river is not merely a Twain-era historical footnote, but a vital instrument of modern commerce and a powerful force in draining, nourishing – and sometimes flooding – a large swath of the US.
Louisiana's Cajun country braces for historic flooding

Residents in Louisiana's Cajun country are preparing for what's expected to be the worst flooding in more than 80 years as the Mississippi surges toward seven rural parishes along the Atchafalaya River Basin.
Letting Mississippi run its natural course could save New Orleans from hurricanes

The full diversion of the Mississippi River back down the Atchafalaya basin would flood millions of acres, permanently submerge entire communities, destroy oil refineries and farms, and leave the port of New Orleans without its river. But it could also save Louisiana from the next hurricane.
How Mississippi River floods could save Louisiana's sinking coasts

Before the current levee system was built, Mississippi River floods helped replenish Louisiana coastal wetlands with silt. Now that silt goes into the Gulf and the coastline is disappearing. But scientists have a plan, and the great flood of 2011 could help them bring it about.
Oil futures fall: good news for drivers

Oil futures drop below $98 a barrel. Gasoline futures decline even more. Oil futures now down 15 percent this month.
Five of the costliest US river floods

The 2011 Mississippi River flood, which has broken records in some places, is creating steady destruction in America's midsection. Hurricanes tend to cause more financial damage, and flash floods typically take more lives. But overflowing rivers deliver a long, slow economic punch. Arkansas farmers have lost an estimated $500 million in crops to this year's flood. Mississippi homes and catfish farms – a leading industry – are threatened. In Louisiana, the diversion of water through a spillway to spare Baton Rouge and New Orleans still puts hundreds of homes, businesses, and chemical plants and oil refineries at risk. Total damages could run into the billions. Here's a look at five of the most expensive river floods in the US, according to estimates from the National Weather Service and historical accounts (reported in 2011 dollars):
Morganza spillway: Flooding farmland to save New Orleans

The US Army of Corps of Engineers has opened the Morganza spillway to prevent the surging Mississippi from endangering New Orleans. But farms and natural habitat will be flooded as a result.
Life along the Mississippi: Waiting and watching as the river rises

The US Army Corps of Engineers may open the Morganza Floodway to divert the surging Mississippi away from larger metropolitan areas. The clock is ticking for Stephensville, like most small towns located along backwater tributaries.
Mississippi flooding drowns crops and casinos: What's the economic toll?

The economic toll of the Mississippi River flooding has yet to be calculated, as the crest pushes past Memphis towards New Orleans, but is expected to run in the billions.
Memphis and Baton Rouge brace for record-breaking Mississippi flood

Residents of the Mississippi River floodplain are sandbagging or evacuating as the flood crest pushes south. It will pass Memphis on Tuesday and hit southern Louisiana on May 23.
Watery week ahead as Mississippi floodwaters hit Memphis, move downriver

Mississippi River at record level in Memphis, Tenn., where some areas are already underwater. It's expected to get higher, with floodwaters to linger for days. Evacuations are under way.
In Pictures: Mississippi River floods
First deep-water oil drilling permit since Gulf oil spill plays it safe

The Obama administration lifted its post-Gulf oil spill moratorium on oil drilling in deep water Oct. 12, but it didn't issue its first new permit until Monday. Some experts think rising oil prices forced the administration's hand.
Oscar winners no one expected: mothers everywhere

Oscar winners dispensed morsels of wisdom in their thank-you speeches Sunday night. 'Listen to your mother' was the advice of Best Director Tom Hooper, who won for the 'The King's Speech.'
The Oscars 2011: How real are the reality-based Best Picture nominees?

Four of the 10 features on the Best Picture slate are based on real characters and events: The King’s Speech, The Fighter, The Social Network, and 127 Hours. Here are some facts behind the true-life stories contending for this year’s Best Picture Academy Award.
Gallery: Will these Republicans run in 2012?