Sunday, March 17, 2019

Flood disaster continues in Iowa and eastern Nebraska with more rain on the horizon for Tuesday

By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather staff writer



The flood disaster rages on in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa as rivers remain at historic levels. The return of rain on Tuesday threatens to aggravate the situation in some areas.
While flooding is ongoing in many areas of the north-central United States, communities around eastern Nebraska and western Iowa have been hit the hardest since the 'bomb cyclone' struck last week.
Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate as rivers have overflowed their banks and multiple levees have failed. Sunday afternoon marked the latest evacuation order when concerns over unusable water and sewer systems prompted residents of North Bend, Nebraska, to leave their homes. North Bend is located along the Platte River, northwest of Omaha.
At least two fatalities have been reported due to the flooding, according to the Associated Press.
James Wilke of Columbus, Nebraska, was killed on Thursday when a bridge collapsed as he was attempting to reach stranded motorists.
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
A BNSF train sits in flood waters from the Platte River, in Plattsmouth, Neb., Sunday, March 17, 2019.
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Gabe Schmidt, owner of Liquid Trucking, right, talks to Glenn Wyles, second right, as they survey by air boat flood damage from the flood waters of the Platte River, in Plattsmouth, Neb., Sunday, March 17, 2019.
(Photo/@OmahaHeating)
Flooding in Ashland, Nebraska.
(Photo/Christopher Heady)
Highways submerged by flood waters in Nebraska.
(Image/Gov. Pete Ricketts)
What remains after the failure of the Spencer Dam in Nebraska.
(Photo/Nebraska State Patrol)
A bridge that fell apart due to the strong current of a swollen river in Genoa, Nebraska.
(Photo/Nebraska State Patrol)
A road destroyed by flooding in Nebraska.
(Photo:Mitch Schneringer)
Flooding in Arlington, Nebraska, as seen from a C150 airplane.
(Photo/Nebraska State Patrol)
A closer view of the bridge that fell apart in Genoa, Nebraska.
(Photo/Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts)
(Photo/Gov. Pete Ricketts)
(Photo/Nebraska State Patrol)
A vehicle submerged in flood waters in Columbus, Nebraska.
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
A Welcome to Wahoo sign stands in flood waters outside Wahoo, Neb., Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
(Photo/Nebraska State Patrol)
The Nebraska National Guard performing air rescues near Arlington, Nebraska.
(Photo/Kade Nelson)
River flooding has overtaken a highway in Columbus, Nebraska.
(Photo/@everythinglo18)
Flood waters in Cascade, Iowa, on Thursday.
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Jim Freeman tries to saw through thick ice slabs on his property in Fremont, Neb., Thursday, March 14, 2019, after the Ice-covered Platte River flooded its banks.
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Thick slabs of ice slabs surround a structure in Fremont, Neb., Thursday, March 14, 2019, after the ice-covered Platte River flooded its banks.
(Photo/Sarpy County Sheriff)
(Photo/Sarpy County Sheriff)
(Photo/Avery Andersen)
A baseball field flooded in Atlantic, Iowa.
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Drivers go through flooded highway 92, as the Cottonwood and Wahoo creeks overflow their banks, in Wahoo, Neb., Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
(Photo/Michael Martz)
Streets flooded in Boone, Iowa, on Thursday.
(Photo/@everythinglo18)
Flood waters in Cascade, Iowa, on Thursday.
(Photo/@everythinglo18)
Flood waters in Cascade, Iowa, on Thursday.
(Photo/OPDOfcBossman)
A large part of Nebraska has been hit with catastrophic flooding.
(Photo/OPDOfcBossman)
A large part of Nebraska has been hit with catastrophic flooding.
(Photo/OPDOfcBossman)
A large part of Nebraska has been hit with catastrophic flooding.
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At least two other people are missing in Nebraska.
Nebraska State patrol reported that the bridge of State Route 92 that crosses the Elkhorn River, west of Omaha, was washed away by flood waters on Saturday morning.
Incidents of damage to other roads and bridges have left communities such as Waterloo and Fremont, Nebraska, surrounded by flood waters with residents stranded.
The Elkhorn River at Waterloo peaked at a record stage of 24.63 feet on Saturday. That shattered the previous record crest from late March 1962 by more than 5 feet.

The river has since started to recede, but the Missouri River between Omaha, Nebraska, and Kansas City, Missouri, is expected to remain at major to record stage through most of this week as runoff from flooded streams and rivers flows downstream.
The flood disaster continues despite dry weather expected to hold across the central Plains through Monday.

Rain will spread back across the central Plains on Tuesday and may be mixed with wet snow along its northern fringe.
"While this storm will pale in comparison to last week's storm, there is the potential for 0.50 of an inch to 1 inch of rainfall in a narrow swath in the central Plains," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jim Andrews. "That could trigger new or aggravate problems if that rain targets the areas hit hardest by the flooding."
Larger rivers may rise slightly more than latest projections or their expected crests can be delayed.
"Already swollen smaller streams and rivers can also significantly rise," Andrews added.
Tues storm March 17

Recovery and storm cleanup efforts can be hindered by the rain regardless if any flooding occurs.
Residents are being warned that many roads can remain impassible even after flood waters recede. Officials are advising anyone who has been forced to evacuate to not return home until instructed.

Officials evacuated the area around Valley, Nebraska, on Friday after portions of the Union Dike on the Platte River failed. Valley is located in Douglas County, about 30 miles west of Omaha.
The National Weather Service Omaha office, located in Valley, was also forced to evacuate. Operations have been moved to the office in Hastings, Nebraska, until it is deemed safe for employees to return.
Nearly 2,000 people sought refuge at 22 American Red Cross shelters at the height of the evacuations, according to a report from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Officials had to rescue close to 300 people including many pets from the flood waters.
53 counties, 54 cities and two tribes in Nebraska issued emergency declarations.
That is in addition to the statewide emergency declaration issued on Tuesday by Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts to allow NEMA and other state agencies to address the impacts from the adverse weather that has struck the state.

Many roads remained closed on Sunday across eastern Nebraska, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
Interstate 29 has also been shut down from Omaha, Nebraska, to Rockport, Missouri.

"All evacuation notices, suggested and mandatory, are STRONGLY encouraged," NEMA said. "By ignoring evacuation recommendations, extraction requests made later may be delayed. Please don’t put your neighbor's life in unnecessary danger by ignoring these requests."
Emergency management officials also disputed a rumor about the status of a nuclear power plant located along the Missouri River.

On Friday morning, the Nebraska Public Power District’s Cooper Nuclear Station declared a “Notification of Unusual Event” due to rising river levels.
"The declaration was anticipated for several days by the power plant’s operators, who closely tracked the river’s steady increase in elevation due to the combination of snow melt, frozen ground, heavy rain conditions in Nebraska, and releases of water from upstream reservoirs in South Dakota," officials said in a statement.
The notification declaration is part of the safety and emergency preparedness plan the station follows when flooding conditions are in effect. Plant officials have been closely monitoring river levels and began preparing the station for flood conditions by filling sandbags that were placed along the river levee.

"There is no threat to plant employees or to the public; the plant continues to operate safely. Appropriate local, county, state and federal agencies were also notified."
A state of emergency has also been declared in Kansas and Wisconsin. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has also issued a disaster proclamation in response to the flooding.
Major river flooding is expected to be a problem for the north-central United States not just this week but through at least April.
River flooding March 17

"With inevitable melting snow coming for the northern tier and large rivers already engorged from recent storms, a long-lasting flooding event is likely for many communities along the Mississippi River and others this spring," AccuWeather Senior Meterologist Alex Sosnowski stated.
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