Graceland and Stax buildings safe from Memphis floods

As Memphis fights with the worst flooding in 74 years, the area of the city that houses its musical landmarks has been spared.

Some news outlets have mistakenly reported water in the areas around such sites as Graceland, the Stax Studios and Museum, Sun Studios and Beale Street but, in reality, they have been sparred. All of the landmarks sit on a bluff that is at least 60 feet above the water. As the river has now crested, it is highly unlikely that anything will happen in those areas now. Still, the devastation to the Memphis area in general has been devastating with the Mississippi cresting at 47.85 inches, less than an inch below the record of 48.7 feet set in 1937.

Bob Nations, Jr., director of the Shelby County Emergency Management Authority, told the AP, "I want to say this: Graceland is safe. And we would charge hell with a water pistol to keep it that way and I'd be willing to lead the charge."

Time magazine is reporting that the flood is only hitting a small part of Memphis, even though news reports are making it look like the city is shut down. Elliot Schwab, who owns a souvenir shop on Beale Street, told them "It's been killing business. It's the media that's causing the problems. They show that one corner of Beale that's underwater and suddenly everyone thinks we're swimming with the fishes. I closed early yesterday things were so bad."

Other musical landmarks still lay in the path of the surging river. Just north of New Orleans, spillways have been opened to help divert some of the coming deluge into Lake Pontchatrain and, eventually, the Gulf of Mexico in hopes of not straining the cities fragile levy system.