BUNCHE'S BEND, La. (AP) — Water from the swollen Mississippi River poured over a century-old levee Thursday, flooding 12,000 acres of corn and soybeans despite farmers' frantic efforts to shore up the structure. Downstream, officials with the Port of New Orleans said the Coast Guard could close the river to ships as early as Monday, halting traffic on one of the world's busiest commercial waterways.

After swamping low-lying neighborhoods in Memphis, Tenn., earlier this week, the rising water is bringing misery to farms and small waterfront communities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.

The Corps of Engineers is considering whether to open the Morganza spillway, which would flood thousands of homes and acres of farmland along a 100-mile stretch in Louisiana but take the pressure off levees and help to protect Baton Rouge, New Orleans and the oil refineries in between. A decision is expected in the next several days.

While the comprehensive section of an auto insurance policy covers flood damage to vehicles, there is no coverage for flooding in standard homeowners', renters', or commercial property insurance policies, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

Below and on the following pages are images taken this week that illustrate the extend of the flooding as swollen tributaries feed into the mighty Mississippi River.

Mississippi Flooding 2011

Flood waters from the Mississippi River encroach on to farm land near Tunica, Miss., Wednesday, May 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi Flood 2011
Houses and property along the Mississippi River near Tunica, Miss., are flooded by the Mississippi River, Wednesday, May 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi Flood 2011
Miss. Gov. Haley Barbour, right, reacts to Howard Brent's description of the damage his house on Wolf Lake faces as Mississippi River flood waters threaten it during a brief stop in Greenville, Miss., Wednesday, May 11, 2011. Gov. Haley Barbour and other officials took an aerial trip along the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries to view the spreading damage from the flood waters, and later addressed community leaders in Greenville. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi Flood 2011
Mississippi River flood waters surround the driveway to Fitzgeralds Tunica, a casino and hotel in Robinsonville, Miss., Wednesday, May 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi Flood 2011
Like a modern-day castle, Fitzgeralds Tunica, a casino and motel in Robinsonville, Miss., is surrounded by Mississippi River flood waters Wednesday, May 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi Flood 2011
Floodwaters invade downtown Vicksburg, Miss. on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. Historic Vicksburg, the site of a pivotal Civil War battle, has been one of the hardest hit cities. All along the river's path, residents are worried about the flood's impact on homes and farmland. (AP Photo/Robert Ray)

Mississippi Flood 2011
Inmate trustees from St. Martin Parish Correctional Center make sandbags for residents in preparation for impending flooding from the likely diversion of Mississippi River floodwaters into the Atchafalaya Basin, in Stephensville, La., Wednesday, May 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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