"My mom is 86 and my brother is 54, but he's not in very good health," said Pettway. "So we feel like we need to move the majority of the appliances and bedroom furniture and that kind of stuff and just have a makeshift home, if you will, until the water recedes or starts receding."

But the city predicts a positive outcome for the neighborhood. And the Army Corps of Engineers is confident the levee will hold.

The project will be completed in the coming days, in plenty of time for the expected crest on the 19th.