A one-two winter storm and flood provided what is likely to cause multi-billion dollars in damages to the mid-section of the country.
The devastation is being felt the hardest in Nebraska but the lingering flood is also being carried downstream as it flows into the Missouri River and on to the Mississippi River.
"The flooding in Nebraska has gotten so bad it’s breaking records across the state,” said Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts in a social media post the past weekend. “Some of the records go as far back as 1960 and some are as recent as 2011…”
Preliminary estimates from the mid-March winter storm and flooding is expected to land a more than $1 billion hit to the $20 billion agriculture industry in the Cornhusker state, said Nebraska Cattlemen Executive Vice President Pete McClymont after he had received updates from those who have been monitoring the crisis. It will take time to assess the widespread losses, which will include damage to farmers and ranchers, but also to businesses, homeowners and infrastructure.
In Nebraska, the 91-year-old Spencer Dam on the Niobrara River failed and sent a large wall of water downstream. The Missouri River levels rose dramatically as the Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota was releasing 100,000 cubic feet of water per second due to rapid plains snow melt and heavy rainfall, according to the Missouri governor’s office. In Nebraska alone, at least 17 recording points reported record crests. The damages from social media posts, news media and emergency management agencies paint a picture of the devastation.
‘Perfect circumstance’
Nebraska producers had some leadtime and they prepared as much as they could in advance but it has been a tough winter in terms of cold temperatures and moisture.
In the western part of Nebraska and the Sand Hills region moisture from northeast Colorado, northwest Kansas and southeast Wyoming came together to form a late winter storm and combined with high winds caused large drifts and many losses for cow-calf operators.
Farther east, particularly in a north-south line in the Grand Island region, the rain and snow fell on top of frozen ground and had no place to go but to continue to run off, which aggravated flood conditions and made it harder for cattle producers to maneuver.
One horrific story was a producer in Sherman County lost all 32 cow-calf pairs when floodwaters swept them up as he was trying to move his pairs to a safe place.
A Palmer feedlot owner said his son, who operates the feedlot, usually has a short 20-mile commute but instead it took him three hours of back-road driving to get there. He was the first employee to arrive.
The cattle industry appears to be the livestock sector hit the hardest, McClymont said. In visiting with an executive in the pork industry there were no preliminary reports of significant losses and that appears similar to the dairy and poultry industries.
Crops in Nebraska have an annual $8.86 billion footprint and while it was fortunate the flooding came before farmers had earnestly entered their fields the flooding is estimated to cause about $450 million in damages and the livestock industry could experience $400 million to $450 million. Other losses will include to the ethanol industry and in grain elevators in which stored corn and soybeans were damaged. Several meat processing plants had to be temporarily closed because employees could not safely get to the plants.
Mother Nature’s setup
Unfortunate circumstances set up the devastating flooding in Nebraska, according to Regina Bird, a meteorologist for NTV and KFXL in the central part of the Cornhusker state and a regular contributor to High Plains Journal.
“A very strong low pressure system brought heavy rains which aided melting snow that was left on the ground,” Bird said. “This in turn just added to the moisture which had nowhere to go due to the frozen ground. Ice jams also added to the flooding concern.”
The flooding that developed was extensive in central and eastern Nebraska, Bird said. Damage is widespread in those areas as dams and levees failed and bridges washed out. Not only were major highways impacted, but also the number of county roads that had to be barricaded is staggering.
Towns were evacuated due to rising floodwaters and the number of those who needed rescued reached over 200, according to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, she said.
“While central and eastern Nebraska were dealing with flooding, heavy snow was underway in the Panhandle with several reports of over 12 inches of snow there along with strong gusty winds. Snow eventually spread east and blizzard conditions ensued for parts of central Nebraska,” Bird said. “One town in particular that had to deal with numerous threats was Dannebrog as a voluntary evacuation was ordered and the next morning a blizzard was underway.”
Good Samaritan perishes
The flooding led to the death of a well-known farmer Nebraska farmer. The family of farmer James Wilke, 50, said he was killed March 14 when a bridge collapsed as he was using his tractor to try to reach stranded motorists, according to The Associated Press. His body was found downstream, his cousin Paul Wilke told the Columbus Telegram. Gass Haney Funeral Home confirmed James Wilke’s death. He was a member of the Nebraska Cattlemen, Platte Valley Cattlemen, and active in the Lakeview FFA Alumni. James was named the 2001 Outstanding Area Young Farmer.
“A good Samaritan,” said McClymont, who knew the victim.
The accident occurred north of Schuyler, Nebraska. Unfortunately floodwaters caused the tractor to topple and Wilkes got swept up in it.
“From the friends and neighbors they all had nothing but positive things to say about James. He was always willing to help. The good Lord needed him now,” McClymont said.
Ag plant affected
A major agricultural company was impacted by the floodwaters. On March 15, floodwaters surrounded the Valmont manufacturing facility in Valley, Nebraska. This prompted a preemptive closure of the site to ensure the safety of employees. The majority of the buildings onsite have not been impacted and remain dry. The flooding has, however, resulted in the closure of major roads and highways surrounding the facility, making the campus inaccessible at this time.
The company is using manufacturing facilities in other regions around the U.S. to continue serving customers. The manufacturing facility in Columbus, Nebraska, and the coatings facility in West Point, Nebraska, were also impacted by the flooding, but have remained operational. Manufacturing operations in McCook and Waverly, Nebraska, were unaffected and are operating as normal.
Working with feds
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said it will be patient so state officials can give an accurate assessment, McClymont said. He praised the work of Gov. Pete Ricketts and his staff for their work at the state and federal levels. The governor was able to waive regulations so that producers could receive hay and other needed supplies.
Vice President Mike Pence toured the state this past week. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has been in contact with state leaders and Nebraska has an ally with Greg Ibach, the United States Department of Agriculture undersecretary for marketing and regulator programs and a former Nebraska director of agriculture.
In the aftermath the long hours takes it toll on farmers and ranchers, their families and employees, McClymont said. He encouraged producers to use the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension website https://flood.unl.edu as a handy resource. Producers tend to keep themselves and have a hunker down mentality, McCloymont said, but when extraordinary circumstances occur it is important they seek out help not only for financial but also their mental wellbeing.
The Nebraska Cattlemen organization is also putting together a non-profit foundation in which donors can send money and it will be disbursed to help farmers and ranchers, McClymont said. The program is modeled after initiatives taken by the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Kansas Livestock Association.
Expanded region
In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 36 counties. In 15 of those counties the declaration means that will allow state resources to be used to respond and recover from the effects of the weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant program for qualifying residents. In the other 21 counties it made that program available as well as the Disaster Case Management Program.
In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem has signed an emergency declaration that allows the use of additional state funds for South Dakota counties impacted by the blizzard and flood in her state.
“This has been a statewide emergency with people impacted by heavy snow, high winds, rain, and freezing rain,” Noem said. “This emergency declaration provides state agencies flexibility to help counties recover.”
The extra money comes from the state’s Disaster Fund. The money can be used for costs incurred by state agencies for resources deployed to the scene at the request of a county. The emergency order also allows for the activation of the South Dakota National Guard if necessary.
Noem said the state has been providing resources and technical assistance as needed to those counties dealing with the storm’s aftermath. Departments like Public Safety and Transportation have been working with affected counties before the storm’s onset earlier this week. On Thursday, Noem activated the State Emergency Operations Center, which is being used to help coordinate the state’s response.
“We have an obligation to help counties, and we will,” Noem said. “We want to ensure our infrastructure remains strong during this period and people get the help they need.”
Depending on the extent of damage, the state may eventually request a Presidential Disaster Declaration asking for federal funds to aid recovery efforts.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson had already met with emergency management team members March 15 to review and update flood-response plans, and the Missouri Highway Patrol was preparing additional equipment and putting swift water rescue personnel on standby, according to the AP. The Missouri National Guard also temporarily relocated the 139th Airlift Wing’s C-130s from Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph as a precaution.
The National Weather Service said the Missouri River at St. Joseph reached nearly 26 feet on March 16, about a foot below what’s considered major flooding at the northwest Missouri city. It was expected to crest at 29.3 feet—more than 2 feet above major flooding level this past week.
The flooding touched the northeast tip of Kansas where the Missouri River borders the state with Missouri. Gov. Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency declaration for Doniphan County affected by flooding this week. The state declaration may be amended to include any additional counties that may experience flooding. The declaration authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties that meet certain criteria.
"We urge residents to be aware of their safety. Flood waters can be deceptive; it only takes 18 inches of water to float a car," Kelly said. "Although people often think of tornadoes as the big destructive force of nature in Kansas, floods can be just as damaging, if not more so. While tornadoes are generally limited in scope, floods affect many, many square miles, destroying or damaging roads, bridges, power lines and other vital infrastructure. I am signing this declaration to help these county governments quickly restore infrastructure and get things back to normal for their citizens."
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has activated the State Emergency Operations Center to a partial level and is working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service to provide support to Doniphan County. KDEM has sent three regional coordinators to assist Doniphan county emergency management officials.
Resources available
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has put together a list of disaster relief resources for Nebraska farmers and ranchers seeking assistance due to severe weather. This list includes information about NDA’s Hay and Forage Hotline and programs from the Farm Service Agency. For information go to: www.nda.nebraska.gov/resources.
Editor’s note: These stories were a combined effort by Dave Bergmeier, Kylene Scott, Larry Dreiling, Jennifer M. Latzke and Shauna Rumbaugh.
