NATCHEZ — The Mississippi River topped 60 feet — its highest mark ever — Friday, ending near 60.05 on the Natchez gauge.

It has continued to rise approximately one foot a day for much of the last week.

Flood stage at Natchez is 48 feet.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Mississippi to supplement the state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by flooding beginning on May 3 and continuing.

The President Obama’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Adams County and 12 other counties in the state.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Similar assistance has not yet been approved for Concordia Parish.

Individuals and business owners in Adams County who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362).

MDOT update

For updates of traffic routes, the Mississippi Department of Transportation announced Friday MDOT would activate a call center traffic information phone line for the public’s convenience starting Friday afternoon.

The number is 1-866-521-MDOT (6368), and the call center will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“We’re in a crisis the likes of which no one in this region alive today has ever seen,” said Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall.

“It’s important that the public has all the information they need to make an informed decision to safely evacuate. That’s why we’re opening up our emergency call center in preparation for what’s to come,” Hall said.

Area roads that have been closed due to flooding are:

4U.S. 61 in Warren County — north of Vicksburg at the U.S. 61/SR 3 intersection near Redwood to Backwater Levee.

4U.S. 61 in Warren and Claiborne counties — south of Vicksburg, north of Port Gibson at the Big Black River crossing.

4SR 24 in Wilkinson County — near Fort Adams.

After a visit to Vidalia, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Friday afternoon federal officials gave approval to open the Morganza spillway or the first time in 38 years as early as today to avert flooding in places like New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Natchez City Engineer David Gardner said the spillway is too far south of Natchez to have any impact on the area.

Weather update

Concordia Parish was under a flood watch Friday from the Mississippi River based on chances of showers and thunderstorms developing across the area.

Edmonston said the chance of rain Friday would not have a very significant impact on the river level.

“It’s going to take two to four inches (of rain) across the area to make the river rise significantly,” Edmonston said.

The flood watch was targeted at areas that were already partially flooded, he said.

“A quick half an inch (of rain) could make the river cross the road (in flooded areas),” Edmonston said.

The forecast appears relatively dry, after Friday’s predicted rainfall, until late next week, he said.

Edmonston said a system might produce rain in the central plains Wednesday or Thursday, possibly producing rainfall in the area next Friday.