By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather staff writer
River flooding concerns worsened on Friday around parts of the north-central United States following multiple reports of separate levee and dam failures.
Residents in the area around Valley, Nebraska, were being urged to evacuate Friday after portions of the Union Dike on the Platte River failed.
"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 flood emergencies were in effect for parts of Dodge and Saunders counties as well, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
The National Weather Service Omaha office, located in Valley, was evacuating due to the flooding. The office in Hastings, Nebraska, was reportedly 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.
(Image/Nebraska DOT)
"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."
Emergency management officials also disputed a rumor about the status of a nuclear power plant located along the Missouri River.
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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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.
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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 former Spencer dam on Niobrara River, #Nebraska (Photo courtesy J. Angel)
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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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