Midwest is preparing for more floods after the "catastrophic" flood in Iowa and Nebraska



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By Tim Stelloh and Doha Madani

Large areas of the Midwest have remained threatened by what the national meteorological service described Monday night as a "major to historic" flood, even as officials and locals alike were still struggling with a recent flood that killed three people. Iowa and Nebraska.

The floods occurred after showers and snowmelt swelled the rivers and streams of the area last week.

Alerts and flood warnings remained in effect Monday in the plains, the Mississippi Valley and in parts of the Ohio Valley region, the weather agency said.

Addressing reporters on Monday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds called the floods "catastrophic" and "unbelievable".

"It was heartbreaking to see the extent of the flood," she said, evoking a flight over the Missouri River.

Forty-two of the counties in Iowa had declared emergencies, she said. Two-thirds of the city of Hamburg, just east of the Missouri River, was "lost," she said.

Buffy Chaney, who moved out a few years ago – and whose house remained under water on Monday – told NBC affiliate WOWT that this experience was "heartbreaking".

"Just watching the lifeboats go down, I mean, it's speechless," Chaney said. "Devastating, breaking."

In Nebraska, where the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, said that Vice President Mike Pence would visit on Tuesday, the state's emergency management agency has assessed the situation. Financial impact of the flood to more than 265 million, according to WOWT.

In Douglas County, which includes Omaha, 200 children and adults have been rescued since Friday, WOWT reported.

In a horse stable, it was unclear whether 18 animals would escape alive from floodwaters, according to NBC affiliate, KSNB.

The owners of the Winnail stable had to escape Saturday before the horse evacuation, the resort announced.

When the volunteers returned with food, they found a dead donkey and the horses alive, although standing in chest-deep water, reported the station.

"We will get there," said an airboat pilot working with the stable, according to the station. "I guarantee you that we will get there."

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