NATCHEZ —Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Wednesday visit to Vidalia was defined as much by what he didn’t see as what he did.

Edwards’ first trip to the area after taking office was in response to the high water event on the Mississippi River, an event that is expected to push the river to 57 feet at Vidalia by Sunday.

While that will push the water to the edge of the Vidalia Riverfront district, it won’t put water over the riverwalk or threaten any buildings there.

The visit — the first of three stops he made to flood threatened areas in the state — included a helicopter fly over of the area.

“I was very interested in what I saw, but I had also seen photographs from the 2011 flood, and so I am relieved to see what it is now,” he said.

“I’ve been watching this for about two weeks, and Gov. (Bobby) Jindal was gracious enough to let me work with his office even before I took office because we know this would span into both our terms.”

The 2011 flood reached 61.95 feet, and covered the Vidalia Riverfront where it had not been protected by Hesco basket levees.

During the Vidalia stop, Edwards — who officially took office Monday — met behind closed doors with representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Louisiana National Guard, the Louisiana Fifth Levee District and local officials to find out about the area’s flood fight.

Afterward, he characterized the meeting — and the current flood fight — as an opportunity to fine tune responses for the future, noting that the multiple downward revisions of the initially expected crest of 60 feet means that the systems in place have been tested with a less severe threat than anticipated.

The good news to come out of the meeting was that the levee system is performing better than it was in 2011, and relief wells installed within the system since then have made a significant difference, he said.

But sand boils have appeared and some areas where seepage under the levees can be observed, Edwards said.

“There are lessons to be learned,” he said. “We want to make sure to capture those lessons that can be learned.”

Louisiana has “gotten pretty good at this, unfortunately,” Edwards said, and “the fact of the matter is we are going to have to do this again.”

Edwards said he was impressed overall with the amount of cooperation and communication between all of the parties involved in the flood fight.

Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said the Riverfront District represents approximately 300 jobs and has several multi-million dollar facilities, and everything will be done to protect it.

Copeland said he was appreciative of those who have worked as partners with the city in this event and was glad to host the governor so early in his tenure.

“He’s only been in office for two days and he’s come here — that tells you his concern for the Miss-Lou,” Copeland said.

The governor’s tour also included stops in Krotz Springs and Morgan City.