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I live right on the Mississippi River. It’s been part of my life as far back as I can remember. I was raised in St. Louis, and grew up watching barges pass on the way to the Gulf of Mexico. I went to law school in New Orleans, where the river is the lifeblood of the economy there. I started practicing law in Ferriday, and fought raging high water that almost destroyed my home on two different  occasions. Now I live in Baton Rouge, and the Mississippi is part my daily life. But there is trouble in River cities.
 The worst drought in more than 50 years is having a devastating impact on the Mississippi River. The Mississippi has become very thin and very narrow, and if it keeps on dropping there is a very real possibility that all river traffic could get shut down. And considering the fact that approximately 60 percent of our grain, 22 percent of our oil and natural gas, and and one-fifth of our coal travel down the Mississippi River, that would be absolutely crippling for our economy. Check out the video below on the problems with low water.