By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather staff writer
Major to record river flooding and multiple reports of separate levee and dam failures continue to prompt evacuations and road closures in many areas of the north-central United States.
Emergency declarations have been proclaimed in 53 of the 93 counties in Nebraska as of midday Saturday.
Fremont, Nebraska, is one of the latest communities to be faced with a flash flood emergency on Saturday morning. Local law enforcement reported a levee breach along the Platte River on the northwest side of Fremont, threatening to flood surrounding areas.
This is south Broad Street (Hwy 77) in Fremont. The town is literally surrounded by water. All major roads into town are flooded (Hwys 77, 30 & 275)
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The western and southwest parts of the town are in the most immediate danger, according to the National Weather Service office in Omaha.
Suspected breaches and failures of levees along the Iowa side of the Missouri River are also threatening areas in western Fremont and southwestern Mills counties at midday Saturday.
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.
The Elkhorn River was at major flood stage in excess of 24 feet at a gauge located to the north in Waterloo, Nebraska.
Residents in the area around Valley, Nebraska, were urged to evacuate Friday after portions of the Union Dike on the Platte River failed.
Flooding in Arlington, Nebraska, as seen from a C150 airplane. (Photo:Mitch Schneringer)
A bridge that fell apart due to the strong current of a swollen river in Genoa, Nebraska. (Photo/Nebraska State Patrol)
@NEStatePatrol
A closer view of the bridge that fell apart in Genoa, Nebraska. (Photo/Nebraska State Patrol)
The Nebraska National Guard performing air rescues near Arlington, Nebraska. (Photo/Nebraska State Patrol)
Nati Harnik/AP
A Welcome to Wahoo sign stands in flood waters outside Wahoo, Neb., Wednesday, March 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
A vehicle submerged in flood waters in Columbus, Nebraska. (Photo/Nebraska State Patrol)
River flooding has overtaken a highway in Columbus, Nebraska. (Photo/Kade Nelson)
Flood waters in Cascade, Iowa, on Thursday. (Photo/@everythinglo18)
Nati Harnik/AP
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)
Nati Harnik/AP
Thick slabs of ice slabs surround a structure in Fremont, Neb., Thursday, March 14, 2019, after the ice-covered Platte River flooded its banks. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
A baseball field flooded in Atlantic, Iowa. (Photo/Avery Andersen)
Nati Harnik/AP
Drivers go through flooded highway 92, as the Cottonwood and Wahoo creeks overflow their banks, in Wahoo, Neb., Wednesday, March 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Streets flooded in Boone, Iowa, on Thursday. (Photo/Michael Martz)
Flood waters in Cascade, Iowa, on Thursday. (Photo/@everythinglo18)
Flood waters in Cascade, Iowa, on Thursday. (Photo/@everythinglo18)
"All residents of Valley proper and surrounding communities should evacuate immediately," city officials said.
Valley is located in Douglas County, about 30 miles west of Omaha.
The flash flood emergency continues through Saturday morning for Valley, as well as parts of Dodge and Saunders counties.
South of Valley and Thomas Lakes, the Platte River Levee was overtopped on Friday night. The resultant flash flooding is expected to inundate mainly rural areas of northwestern Sarpy and east-central Saunders counties.
The National Weather Service Omaha office, located in Valley, was evacuating due to the flooding. The office in Hastings, Nebraska, is taking over their duties in the meantime.
The state is recovering following this week's 'bomb cyclone' which produced blizzard conditions in portions of western Nebraska and severe flooding on the eastern half. Many roads remained closed on Friday, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
"All evacuation notices, suggested and mandatory, are STRONGLY encouraged," the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency 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."
Road closures continued across much of eastern Nebraska on Saturday, March 16, 2019. (Image/Nebraska DOT)
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 photo below is FALSE NEWS— Cooper Nuclear Station Facility is operating at full power. They have 100% access via an alternate road. @NEMAtweets will update the public if that situation changes.
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"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.
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"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."
Elsewhere, the U.S. Coast Guard said all traffic on the Missouri River from about 50 miles south of Omaha, Nebraska, downstream to St. Joseph, Missouri, has been shut down due to rising river levels, the Associated Press reported.
The Sarpy County Sheriff's Office said it received reports Friday morning that the Missouri River breached a levee near the area of Harland Lewis and LaPlatte.
"Sarpy County Sheriff Jeff Davis is strongly encouraging any residents living in the areas boarding the Missouri or Platte River to evacuate immediately," officials said Friday afternoon.
While a break from major storms is ahead for the region, river flooding will remain a concern in the coming days for the north-central United States.
A state of emergency was declared in Wisconsin due to flooding brought on by rapid snowmelt and rain.
"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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