John W. Morris
When we moved to the Pulaski Building, we relocated the exhibits of the Floyd into the
visitors center in the new Chief's office. That visitors center has been replaced.
The Bicentennial program was a highlight event during my tour as director of Civil Works.
In addition to Hurricane Agnes, were there other national emergencies while you were in Civil
Works?
Agnes was only the beginning-we didn't escape having other national emergencies. The year
A:
after Agnes 1973], the Mississippi River suffered a serious flood. General Noble had his
hands full as the Ohio flooded, along with the upper Mississippi and the Missouri, and New
Orleans was in some serious trouble. There had not been a flood on the Mississippi River for
2 1 years, and the historical average was every seven years. So we had one in 1973 and another
flood the following year. The two in a row brought the average back down to about seven
years.
In the process, the old river structure proved to have very serious structural difficulty. We
realized it had to be repaired and possibly replaced. Planning began and proceeded until now
there is a new auxiliary structure. That flooding reemphasized that the Atchafalaya is probably
the most environmentally sensitive region of this country.
The Corps of Engineers vessel, Sergeant Floyd, sailed the inland waterways to celebrate the
Bicen tennial in 1975.
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