Water is literally our lifeblood. Scientists tell us the human body is composed of more than 60 percent of the liquid, while our blood has more than 90 percent.

In fact, a human can only live for a few short days without drinking water.

Yet when you live along the banks of one of the mightiest rivers in the world, you quickly learn to respect the power water can wield.

If forecasters are correct, our area will see an unprecedented rise in the Mississippi River over the next two weeks.

The beautiful river will become engorged with rain runoff from areas far to the north of us. As it does so, the river will pick up the pace and the volume of water passing by will reach levels that are mind-boggling.

At the forecasted crest weather experts suggest the water will be flowing past Natchez and Vidalia at a rate of nearly 2.5 million cubic feet per second. Converted from engineer measurements to common measurement, that’s more than 18 million gallons passing every second.

The forces behind that are staggering.

None of us — weather forecasters, river hydrologists or local leaders — knows for certain what the river will do and when. But we do know that we have ample time to stay calm, get prepared in case the situation gets worse.

But the most important thing to do is simply not panic, but stay informed and alert.

Our community is smart and strong. And working together, and with God’s help, we can work through any challenges that come our way.