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A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 16 March 2019

Midwest flooding forces evacuations, closing of road, river

Associated Press flood stage at St. Joseph is
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — 27 feet.
Flooding in the central U.S. The U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
on Friday swamped small neers, which manages the
towns, forced some resi- river, drastically increased
dents along waterways to releases from Gavins Point
evacuate, threatened to Dam in southeastern South
temporarily close a nucle- Dakota due to limited stor-
ar power plant and shut age capacity behind the
down stretches of a major dam for the excess runoff.
river and an interstate high- The releases are expected
way, foreshadowing a diffi- to worsen flooding down-
cult spring flooding season. stream, though the agen-
The high water, prompted cy was helping with levee
by a massive late-winter monitoring and other flood
storm, pushed some water- response measures, and it
ways to record levels in Ne- stopped releases from Fort
braska, South Dakota, Iowa Randall Dam upstream
and Minnesota. The flood- from Gavins Point.
ing was the worst in nearly a The swollen Missouri threat-
decade in places, though ened a nuclear power
the situation was expected plant in southeastern Ne-
to improve quickly in many Tom Witke, left, his son Chad, center, and Nick Kenny, launch a boat into the swollen waters of braska. The Nebraska Pub-
places over the weekend, the North Fork of the Elkhorn River, to check on Witke's flooded property, in Norfolk, Neb., Friday, lic Power District said it was
according to Mike Gillispie, March 15, 2019. likely the Cooper Nuclear
National Weather Service Associated Press Station about 59 miles (95.5
hydrologist in Sioux Falls. kilometers) south of Omaha
But in eastern Nebraska, and out cut off by floodwa- job dealing" with flooding, The U.S. Coast Guard shut would be shut down early
flooding worsened Friday ters from the Elkhorn River. high winds and road clo- down all traffic on the Mis- Saturday.
and remained a big con- Officials in eastern Nebras- sures. souri River from about 50 Officials are confident that
cern in the lower Missouri ka said more than 2,600 Rising waters on the Mis- miles (80.5 kilometers) south the flooding around the
River region — which is a people living along the Mis- souri River also led Iowa of Omaha, Nebraska, plant presents no danger
major source for the Mis- souri, Platte and Elkhorn riv- officials on Friday to shut downstream to St. Joseph, to the public, power district
sissippi River — with the ers there had been urged down much of Interstate Missouri on Friday, a stretch spokesman Mark Becker
weather service issuing to evacuate, as waters 29 from the Missouri state of about 70 miles (112.7 ki- said.
warnings of high water breached levees in several line north about 85 miles lometers). The storm also significantly
along the river and its trib- rural spots. (137 kilometers) to about The Coast Guard and Corps increased spring flood wor-
utaries from southeastern "Things are moving and Missouri Valley, Iowa. The also requested all river ves- ries in the Red River Valley in
South Dakota to St. Louis in changing at a rapid pace," closure was reminiscent sel operators create as little the Upper Midwest, where
Missouri. Douglas County Commis- of historic flooding along wake as possible between the neighboring cities of
About 45 miles northwest of sioner Mary Ann Borgeson the river in 2011 that saw St. Joseph downstream to Fargo, North Dakota, and
Omaha, the town of North said Friday at a news con- segments of the interstate Kansas City to minimize le- Moorhead, Minnesota, ex-
Bend — home to nearly ference. "We need you in western Iowa washed vee damage. perienced a record flood
1,200 along the banks of to follow instructions and away. Officials on Friday The restrictions came as 10 years ago.
the Platte River — emer- evacuate when we say said the river is expected to the river reached moder- The two cities have imple-
gency workers used boats you need to evacuate." crest well below what was ate flood stage at nearly 32 mented several measures
to evacuate residents. Also President Donald Trump seen in 2011. feet on Friday at Omaha, such as home buyouts and
Friday afternoon, officials on Friday tweeted that he Wisconsin's governor de- where it's expected to crest levees since then. They
asked residents of Valley, had spoken to Nebraska clared a state of emergen- at nearly 34 feet on Mon- could be tested this year.
home to nearly 1,900 peo- Gov. Pete Ricketts about cy Friday as flooding wors- day, according to the Na- The National Weather Ser-
ple just west of Omaha, to the flooding. The president ened, and Iowa's governor tional Weather Service. The vice in an updated out-
evacuate. Within hours of also praised first responders expanded an emergency river is expected to crest look Friday said "significant"
that request, anyone left in and emergency response proclamation issued a day at St. Joseph on Tuesday snowmelt flooding is likely in
the city found all access in teams for doing "a great earlier. at just over 30 feet. Major the valley. q