The little arch on this "gateway" to the riverfront in Clarksville says, "Touch the Mississippi." Undoubtedly a more attractive prospect when the Mississippi isn't intent on touching you and the town around you.
To prepare for floods, the town places sandbags everywhere, that
that's not enough. I'm told that sinks are disconnected; toilets
removed; and special plugs are used to cap pipes and drains.
The cafe where I had breakfast faced the river and escaped the
surface inundation. Unfortunately the plug capping the men's
toilet drain didn't hold, and the place was flooded. When the
water retreated, six inches of sand covered the floors and several live
fish flapped between tables.
