Residents in Tunica, Miss., on Tuesday. (Rogelio V. Solis / AP Photo)
The unincorporated town of Tunica Cutoff, Mississippi has been almost completely destroyed by flooding from the Mississippi River. All but one of the town’s 300 homes has been lost. Additionally, new housing codes have mandated raising new homes above the 100-year flood plain—but most residents had no flood insurance, and cannot afford raising their houses. The town’s citizens are afraid they will not be able to rebuild, and the town could be lost forever. Peter Bradford, the Tunica County planner, told residents that those with damaged homes will have to comply with the new elevated building codes if they are going to return to their houses. But for the poor community, the cost of rebuilding to tougher standards will prove difficult, meaning that the town may be taken off the map for good.