The bill for Nebraska’s flooding will land on county road budgets first. Lancaster County’s engineer has warned that the storm could damage the county’s pipe culverts and some of its bridges, and that repairs after the last storm of similar severity took about five years.
Governor Jim Pillen signed a disaster declaration on Thursday, October 1, for areas hit by the flooding that struck on Wednesday night. His spokeswoman said he has been briefed continually on damage assessments and has ordered state resources made available to meet any needs.
Record water in Lincoln and Omaha
A historic downpour swept across southeastern Nebraska from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Lincoln Airport recorded 6.15 inches of rain on Wednesday, the city’s all-time single-day record, according to the Pioneer Brief. Little Salt Creek crested about four feet above its previous record, and flooding closed routes including U.S. 77 near Ceresco and Nebraska 370. Lincoln first responders rescued or helped more than a dozen people.
In Omaha, crews pulled dozens of people from the water overnight, with depths reaching 8 feet in places. Omaha Public Works said the storm exceeded a 100-year event citywide, and that came on top of one of the wettest Septembers on record. The city designs its system for a 10-year event.
Rivers held, bridges are the worry
Further west, the southern part of Adams County received 3 inches or more. Emergency Manager Ron Pughes said all rivers, creeks, streams and dams there were holding as they should, with no overflow or breach. Officials were still watching the Crystal Lake area in Ayr, where the bridge over the Little Blue was full.
Salt Creek set an all-time record at Greenwood. A U.S. Geological Survey gauge there recorded a crest of about 27.74 feet. County Engineer Pam Dingman said emergency management planned field inspections as the water receded. Those inspections will show how large the repair bill is for the county and for local governments, residents and businesses.
Sources
- Nebraska floods: Gov. Pillen signs disaster declaration
- Pioneer Brief: Pillen signs disaster declaration after record flooding
