From the northern plains to the Midwest, vast areas remain underwater as a disastrous flood event continues, even days after last week’s powerhouse storm departed.
Scenes of devastation are too numerous to fully capture, but available photographs and imagery offer a sense of the extreme nature of this event.
Waterways exploding in size
Last week’s bomb cyclone was the most powerful spring storm in the central United States in decades. In a short amount of time, it unloaded one to three inches of rain, but that by itself didn’t cause the monumental flooding. There was also a ton of water packed within snow already on the ground.
As the rain poured down and this snow melted, a massive amount of water was released that ran off along the frozen turf into rivers and streams, rather than soaking into the soil. Those waterways then swelled to historic levels.
Scores of them are still at major flood stage.
The before-and-after scenes of eastern Nebraska’s Elkhorn River, from the Sentinel 2 satellite (above), shows the city of Scribner turned into an island, while several nearby communities are inundated.
The river seen passing by Uehling is actually just a small creek that ballooned in size.
Pools of high standing water are apparent all around the region. Similar scenes are evident up and down the Missouri and Platte rivers, shown below.
Flooding along the Missouri & Platte Rivers in Nebraska was captured by #Landsat 8 on March 16. pic.twitter.com/J7Wrwy6Z6G
— USGS Landsat Program (@USGSLandsat) March 18, 2019
Dam and levee failures
“It just looked like the end of the world coming,” Niobrara, Neb., Mayor Jody Stark told the Omaha World-Herald.
Stark was describing a wall of water more than a story tall rushing down the Niobrara River and into town when the upstream Spencer Dam was destroyed, unleashing a torrent of water loaded with huge chunks of ice. It all eventually surged into the Missouri River, where the weekend flooding was historic. Numerous levees and dikes failed, flooding nearby communities.
Some devastating images from Fremont County where the levees along the Missouri River have failed. Pics courtesy of @B103_FM #iawx pic.twitter.com/kU3ZXB8Vwf
— NWS Omaha (@NWSOmaha) March 17, 2019
Unbelievable scenes on the ground
Pictures never truly do a disaster justice. But watching whitecaps atop normally dry prairies is something to behold, even on screen.
This is the entrance to my neighborhood yesterday from the Elkhorn River. pic.twitter.com/91EPZWUWII
— Chelsea Dembinski (@MrsSki4) March 17, 2019
River floods can be gradual, with slow-rising water, but this is often not the case, and they can turn much more violent. In this instance, fast-moving water has scoured the landscape in sections of eastern Nebraska and surrounding states. In some places, rivers appear to have created new pathways.
Towns and cities underwater
Weather.com has put together a series of stunning before-and-after photos that are worth a look. One example is shown below.
Before-and-after images show the ongoing #flood disaster in Nebraska and Iowa:https://t.co/PxXcmYnxEC pic.twitter.com/ymA0gSnGcX
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) March 17, 2019
It shows the small town of Bartlett, Iowa, situated near the Missouri River on the Nebraska border. It is completely engulfed by the flood. Scenes of such complete devastation are often reserved for major tornadoes in the region. But water can do serious damage, as well.
Numerous roads and highways damaged and destroyed
HWY 34 bridge in Plattsmouth. The impacts to transportation in Eastern Nebraska will require a great deal of patience. Thankfully Nebraskans are known for this quality! pic.twitter.com/VoSb9bsbIJ
— Col. John A. Bolduc (@NSPColonel) March 17, 2019
“Even in places where bridges remain, they’re impassable,” tweeted Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), while sharing a photo of a still-standing bridge covered in debris.
Dozens of roads throughout the region have been damaged and destroyed by flooding. It’s not just small roads impacted either: Several highways have seen bridges demolished or large sections wiped from the earth by floodwaters. Storm chaser Mike Hollingshead has been keeping track of these locations in eastern Nebraska.
Pretty surreal flying into Omaha. Highways fully submerged. pic.twitter.com/UPUY9fHyXN
— Christopher Heady (@heady_chris) March 16, 2019
Islands of the Plains
From the Fremont area this morning on the Platte. Each of those little islands has dozens of cattle on it, stranded with no place to go.
— NEStatePatrol (@NEStatePatrol) March 15, 2019
Our thoughts are with our agriculture industry as they will certainly feel the effects of this flooding. pic.twitter.com/PK8gpu2NMb
Parts of the Great Plains and Midwest are thought of as being flat as a pancake. While this is true in spots, small changes in elevation can make a big difference. In addition to towns and cities being cut off and temporarily turned into islands, even smaller ones around the region became temporary refuge for livestock.
The Fremont area on the Platte River. Each small island covered in dozens of cattle. #NebraskaFlood #Nebraska #Cattle pic.twitter.com/Blhc1jI4Be
— Brian K Gamble (@BriankgambleNE) March 17, 2019
Dramatic scenes of rescue
Much as in the flooding in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina or in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, emergency officials looked past personal risks to help those trapped by the rapidly rising waters.
Thanks to the @NENationalGuard for their great work with this rescue by Arlington today. #NebraskaFlood pic.twitter.com/Ri69TTqPRy
— Gov. Pete Ricketts (@GovRicketts) March 16, 2019
Thousands of rescues have taken place, coordinated by multiple agencies. Chief among them are the Nebraska National Guard and Nebraska State Patrol. These folks have been instrumental in saving lives, as well as giving us a better picture of what’s happening in the region with their presence on social media.
Officials under siege
You may encounter some broken links on our webpage, but our forecasters remain hard at work forecasting and issuing warnings and products. We've moved operations to Hastings, NE.
— NWS Omaha (@NWSOmaha) March 17, 2019
Thanks, @NWSHastings! pic.twitter.com/duFbVpbGq5
The National Weather Service is tasked with saving lives and property in the face of extreme weather. On Friday, the office in Valley, along the Platte River, had to be evacuated. Rising waters were threatening to encircle them — which later happened.
They weren’t alone. Offutt Air Force Base, the home of U.S. Strategic Command, has also faced floodwaters covering about a third of its facility. At least one runway was partially submerged there. A nuclear power plant on the Missouri River that was threatened by flooding was able to continue operating through the weekend.
Like large portions of Nebraska, Offutt personnel are battling flood waters which started to creep onto the installation March 15. Get the full story here - https://t.co/o90sNK9o8i pic.twitter.com/9px7LetGJR
— OffuttAFB (@Offutt_AFB) March 17, 2019
Neighbors helping neighbors
My friend Joel just sent me this note about his day:
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) March 17, 2019
“This community! And no one cared if anyone voted Red or Blue!” pic.twitter.com/WwtMiHPbAX
These kinds of situations have a way of highlighting the best of communities. In addition to the tireless work of law enforcement, rescue personnel and emergency management, communities have come together to assist one another in enduring this trauma.
Not over yet
Historic flooding continues across the Plains and Midwest this week with many rivers at "major flood" stage. Many roads are closed due to flooding in the region and they're closed for good reason. 50% of all flood deaths are vehicle related. Turn around, don't drown! pic.twitter.com/a557SvaKJj
— NWS (@NWS) March 18, 2019
While many spots have seen water levels peak in this current episode, major rivers will only slowly recede in the hardest-hit areas this week.
Any additional rain could cause some concerns, although fortunately the forecast for the next week or so does not include a lot of precipitation.
As the spring rainy season is just getting underway and episodes of flooding have become more common in these regions, we’ll need to continue monitoring weather patterns.