Nebraska has been recently hit with an unexpected wave, a bomb cyclone that has left much flooding. Reporters say that this is the worst flooding seen in Nebraska in over 50 years.

This all began on March 9 and 10, in which the snow began to melt and left two to three inches of snowmelt. Apart from this, some places were affected by the pouring rain, which left about six inches of water in 24 hours.

Before anyone had time to come into understanding of this phenomenon, heavy fog was making its way into town. This powerful cyclone which hit Nebraska is known as a bomb cyclone, in which the air pressure drops down heavily and calls for horrible weather.

This hit of flooding was unexpected in the sense that no one expected it to be this severe. Forecasters knew that there could potentially be spring flooding, however, they did not expect the heavy rain.

Before the inundations occurred, the Army Corps of Engineers went along the Missouri River to attempt lowering the reservoirs to make room for excess runoff.

Places affected include the east side of the city of Norfolk, and this city remains under a large-scale evacuation. Apart from this, Columbus, which sits at a point between the Platte and Loup river was harshly affected. In fact, a farmer was killed when his tractor was swept away when attempting to rescue others in danger. Not only was someone killed, but others are still missing from this area.

Due to this crisis, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency or NEMA, emergency officials, and volunteers are working hard to assist statewide in these catastrophes. NEMA is responding to requests for assistance around the states.

Evacuations are taking place in many locations, and troopers with the NSP are working with local officials and Nebraska Game and Parks officers on water rescues overnight and into the morning. Apart from this, the Red Cross reports that there are 721 people in both the Red Cross and Partner shelters, and some places in which shelters are available include the Bellwood Fire Department; the DHS-East Central Health Department located in Columbus; the First Lutheran Church in Fremont, and the Bel Air Elementary School in Norfolk, Ne.

Officials are placing sandbags in critical locations to prepare for rising water levels, and Governor Pete Ricketts has issued an executive order to temporarily wave overweight limits to help speed disaster relief response times.

Even though Nebraska has been highly affected, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. One can be glad that there are people out there who are taking care of the problem and finding new ways to improve the situation.

Works Cited:

Gaarder, Nancy. “Record Snowfall, 'Historic' Bomb Cyclone Are Forces behind Nebraska Floods, Blizzard.” Omaha.com, 17 Mar. 2019, www.omaha.com/weather/record-snowfall-historic-bomb-cyclone-are-forces-behind-nebraska-floods/article_b7b6547d-d4d2-5363-ad64-1142f87a513a.html.

Hassan, Adeel. “Why Is There Flooding in Nebraska, South Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Mar. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/us/nebraska-flooding-facts.html.

Livingston, Ian. “Many Places Are Underwater, from Nebraska to Wisconsin, as Major Flooding Engulfs the Region.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 15 Mar. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/03/15/many-places-are-under-water-nebraska-wisconsin-major-flooding-engulfs-region/?utm_term=.33e302f9bbe5.

Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. “Dozens of Communities Undergoing Partial or Full Evacuation.” KOLNKGIN - Content - News, 2019 Gray Digital Media, 15 Mar. 2019, www.1011now.com/content/news/Update-on-State-response-to-historically-catastrophic-weather-events-507218781.html.