Memphis escapes worst of flooding

VICKSBURG, Miss. — The Mississippi crest rolled past Memphis on Tuesday, going easy on much of the city, yet downriver in the mostly poor, fertile Delta region, floodwaters washed away crops, damaged hundreds of homes and closed casinos key to the state's economy.

In Vicksburg, home of a pivotal Civil War battle, the river was forecast to peak slightly above the record level set during the flood of 1927. Some places were already several feet underwater and the river wasn't expected to peak here until Saturday.

AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Staff of the Lighthouse Point Casino in Greenville, Miss.,...