Rising tide puts us in our place

By Kevin Cooper

Published Friday, April 18, 2008

Through the years our country has spent billions and billions (I'm guessing here a bit, but it seems logical) in attempts to control the Mississippi River.

But despite all of those efforts, occasionally the big guy upstairs reminds us all that He -- not us -- is in charge.

It's an interesting thing to consider as you look out over the Mighty Mississippi which stretches some 2,340 miles and (before the higher flood levels) pumps out nearly 600,000 cubic feet of water every second at its mouth.

That's an incredible amount. In fact, it's difficult to get your head wrapped around.

What's more amazing is that the river starts as a small ribbon in the north and slowly grows into the enormous creature that drains approximately 40 percent of the United States.

In addition, the Mississippi and its tributaries drain approximately 1.25 million square miles of land.

Even on a normal (read: not major flood event) day the Mississippi is incredible awe-inspiring. With what's becoming a lifetime flood event, the scene is staggering.

Today, seeing the powerful river scream by it makes me realize how insignificant we are in this great big world. We can fight the tide as hard as we're humanly possible, but ultimately, we're not in control. I guess it's good to keep that in mind -- always.