When Mother Nature throws a curve ball at the Miss-Lou, we know just how to handle it.

For decades, we’ve known just how great our community can be when the chips are down, problems are occurring and we need to rally together to overcome adversity.

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, all have been thrown at us through the years. We’ve been tested by the most adverse and unexpected conditions, and our community has come out stronger in the end.

As calls for near-record high flood levels on the Mississippi River are in the forecast, our area should be calm.

We’ve been through this before.

We know what to do.

We know what to expect.

We know how to keep watch.

And, most important, we know how to work together as a community if the river ultimately rises into dangerous levels.

The river is expected to reach what forecasters call minor flood stage tomorrow evening, reaching the 48-foot mark on the Natchez river gauge.

High water north of us will continue to head south and cause the river level here to continue rising. Currently, the forecast shows it should reach the 55.6-foot level in Natchez.

If it stops there, that’s more than 6 foot less water than we experienced in the record flood of 2011 when it reached 61.95 before subsiding.

Despite our experience and our wisdom, we all should stay mindful of the potential for the forecast to change as well as the dangers of the fast-flowing river, even at less-than-record levels.

Like always, by staying alert, staying smart and working together our community will come away from this seasonal flooding stronger than ever.