[ad_1]
Firefighters in Green Bay are helping residents evacuate their homes due to the East River Flood on Friday, March 15, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Heavy rains on frozen ground caused evacuations along the swollen rivers of Wisconsin, Nebraska and other Midwestern states, while powerful wind and snow hit hundreds of kilometers of rain. highway in North Dakota. (Adam Wesley / The Post-Crescent via AP) ORG XMIT: WIAPP505 (Photo: Adam Wesley, AP)
At least one man is dead, two others are missing, and close to 900 people are in temporary shelters amid the worst floods in Nebraska in the last 50 years. "Bomb Hurricane" storm that ravaged the Great Plains this week.
Nebraska's governor, Pete Ricketts, and the state's national guard Friday examined the damage (including flooded farms, houses, bridges and highways), caused by what Ricketts called "flooding." devastating "which are perhaps the worst in half a century.
"It could take a while," he said, urging people to "closely monitor the weather and waterways of their communities in the coming days, and prepare for historic floods, even if they do not yet touch their community ".
Nebraska has been in a state of emergency since Tuesday due to heavy rains. The "bomb hurricane" struck the center of the United States this week with heavy snow, howling winds and several tornadoes. Floods also forced evacuations into Wisconsin, South Dakota and Minnesota.
Highway sections crossing Nebraska have been closed. At least four bridges on state highways are destroyed and damaged. On Saturday morning, the Nebraska National Guard warned residents that it was still dangerous to travel despite the sun that has finally arrived.
"We repeat: it's still dangerous to get into the floodwaters and the roads continue to be closed throughout the state," tweeted the Nebraska National Guard. "DO NOT TRAVEL if necessary and NEVER drive through floodwaters."
The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency has reported emergency declarations in 41 cities and 53 of 93 counties in Nebraska, primarily in the northeastern part of the state, which includes the largest city of the state, Omaha.
But NEMA has begun to dispel reports that a nuclear plant, the Cooper nuclear plant near Brownsville, Nebraska, is threatening flooding.
"The photo below is FALSE NEWS – Cooper's nuclear power plant is running at full power," tweeted NEMA. "They have 100% access via a secondary road."
The Omaha-World Herald reported a death, a farmer from the city of Columbus. James Wilke drove his tractor to help the flood victims despite the howling wind and rain. Two others are reported missing.
Wilke tried to cross a bridge, the newspaper reported, but it collapsed under the weight of the tractor and sent Wilkes into a creek below. His body was discovered about nine hours later near his farm.
"He has always been the first to go help someone," said his newspaper Paul Wilke, quoted by the newspaper. "He was a person who did not just talk about improving things, he would do it."
Meanwhile, a nesting pan in Fremont, about 50 miles northwest of Omaha, forced evacuations into parts of the community to seek higher ground.
The Nebraska Red Cross Region and Southwest Iowa has set up several temporary shelters across Nebraska for people to seek refuge. The Red Cross said it has already served 880 people.
Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/16/nebraska-flooding-worst-50-years-following-bomb-cyclone-storm/3184806002/
[ad_2]
Source link