[ad_1]
Some of the largest floods to date have been in eastern Nebraska. "The widespread and extremely dangerous floods will continue today and tonight," the National Meteorological Service office in Omaha wrote Friday morning.
Since the publication of this statement, the meteorological service itself had to evacuate due to a breakwater dike on the Platte River.
In northeastern Nebraska, the city of Norfolk remains subject to large-scale evacuation on the east side. The floods are due to rivers like the Elkhorn, which are reaching record levels and are crossing dikes in some places. Weather.com reported that one-third of the city's 24,000 residents had been evacuated. The water at this place is decreasing, but only after part of the city has been submerged.
Columbus, at the meeting point of the Platte and Loup Rivers in southeastern Nebraska, was also particularly affected. A farmer was washed away and killed while he was trying to help save other people from floodwater on his tractor. Several others are missing in the area.
Heavy ice jams on the two rivers near Columbus caused a sudden flood Thursday in the region. The authorities planned to deposit coal ash on the ice to facilitate its melting and allow the rivers to withdraw once the natural and temporary dams were removed, but the traffic jams dissolved before the plan was implemented.
In recent days, while the "cyclone bomb" was releasing heavy rains, floods have focused on streams and waterways, as well as on small to medium-sized rivers. During the weekend, the largest floods are expected to move to the largest rivers in the region.
In the section of the Missouri River flowing through southeastern Nebraska to the border with Iowa, the Cooper Nuclear Power Plant declared an "unusual event notification" early Friday morning, signaling that the river had passed a disturbing height.
According to a press release, the level of the Missouri River at the location of the nuclear power plant would have reached 42.5 feet, or 899.05 feet above sea level. The plant itself is 903 feet above sea level. The alert has triggered the initial precautions and if the river reaches 45 feet, the facility will be offline.
Meteorological forecasts indicate that the water level at the plant could rise to about 45.5 feet this weekend, which would require a shutdown. The electricity would then be provided by other sources. The factory has operated throughout the last major threat, during the historic floods of summer 2011.
Floods in this part of the Missouri River have already reached or exceeded record levels. Although the additional floods are not massive, it is possible that the river crest only Saturday or Sunday in this region.
Water levels in several major rivers are expected to remain near record levels until early next week before falling asleep slowly.
Floods are also common in Iowa, with many roads closed throughout the state. In central state, some homes have been evacuated near Otho, where ice jams have also been reported.
Floods are also common but somewhat less common in parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and South Dakota in particular.
The cities of Lodi and Darlington, Wisconsin, have experienced particularly impressive floods. In Lodi, the mayor said it was the worst he had ever seen in 71 years. Darlington is at the heart of its third flood in a year, which should be the worst since 1993 at this location.
The floods were caused by a combination of factors.
The heavy rains associated with the "cyclone bomb" that has passed through these days have been an important catalyst. It has been exacerbated by the snow accumulated in winter, left by record rainfall. Blocking ice jams on frozen rivers and soils, which maximizes runoff, only makes things worse.
Given the heavy rains in winter and the active spring storm in the central part of the country, this week's events are just the beginning of a long flood season.
This article was written by Ian Livingston, Washington Post reporter.
[ad_2]
Source link