LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A Nebraska bill that would increase funding aimed at attracting more startup companies to state is getting support from successful entrepreneurs.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that Evan Luxon, co-founder of Centese, was among those who testified Wednesday in support of a bill that would increase funding in the Nebraska Business Innovation Act. The $4 million in additional funding would bring total funding to nearly $10 million annually.
Luxon says his small but growing medical equipment company, now based in his hometown of Omaha, would still be in San Francisco if not for the program that began eight years ago to help entrepreneurs.
Supporters of Legislative Bill 334 say the extra state funding would encourage more startups in Nebraska.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – With their session nearly halfway over, Nebraska lawmakers are still trying to unite behind a plan to lower property taxes amid uncertainty over how to cover the cost.
Members of the tax-focused Revenue Committee are sorting through their options but signaled they’re open to a sales tax increase, although that move would undoubtedly face resistance from Nebraska businesses. They’re also looking at an income tax cut and getting rid of sales tax exemptions.
Lawmakers face the prospect of a new statewide ballot measure to reduce property taxes in the 2020 general election.
Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, chairwoman of the Revenue Committee, says she’s concerned that if lawmakers don’t act this session, the petition drive could gain momentum and be approved by voters, forcing state officials to make drastic cuts.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities were using boats and large vehicles on Saturday to rescue and evacuate residents in parts of the Midwest where a recent deluge of rainwater and snowmelt was sent pouring over frozen ground, overwhelming creeks and rivers, and killing at least one person.
The scramble to move people out of harm’s way was expected to subside going into the new week, as rivers and creeks in flooded eastern Nebraska and western Iowa were expected to crest Saturday and Sunday. That left officials downstream looking to prepare for likely flooding.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson had already met with emergency management team members Friday to review and update flood-response plans, and the Missouri Highway Patrol was preparing additional equipment and putting swift water rescue personnel on standby. 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 Saturday, about a foot below what’s considered major flooding at the northwest Missouri city. But it’s expected to crest Wednesday or Thursday at 29.3 feet — more than two feet above major flooding level.
Evacuation efforts in eastern Nebraska and some spots in western Iowa on Saturday were hampered by reports of levee breaches and washouts of bridges and roads, including part of Nebraska Highway 92, leading in and out of southwest Omaha. Authorities confirmed that a bridge on that highway that crosses the Elkhorn River had been washed out Saturday. In Fremont, west of Omaha, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation for some residents after floodwaters broke through a levee along the Platte River. And in Mills County, Iowa, authorities ordered people in some rural areas to evacuate after the Missouri River overtopped levees.
The flooding followed days of snow and rain — record-setting, in some places — that swept through the West and Midwest. The deluge pushed some waterways, including the Missouri River, to record levels in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. The flooding was the worst in nearly a decade in places.
The family of farmer James Wilke, 50, of Columbus, Nebraska, said he was killed Thursday when a bridge collapsed as he was using his tractor to try to reach stranded motorists on Thursday. His body was found downstream, his cousin Paul Wilke told the Columbus Telegram. Gass Haney Funeral Home confirmed James Wilke’s death.
At least two other people were missing in floodwaters in Nebraska. Officials said a Norfolk man was seen on top of his flooded car late Thursday before being swept away in the water and another man was swept away by waters when a dam collapsed on the Niobrara River.
Officials in Sarpy County, south of Omaha, said Saturday that power may be shut off to communities along the Missouri, Platte and Elkhorn rivers for safety reasons. They warned those who choose to ignore calls to evacuate that rescues would be attempted only during daylight hours. Some cities and towns, such as North Bend on the banks of the Platte River, were submerged. Others, such as Waterloo and Fremont, were surrounded by floodwaters, stranding residents in virtual islands with no access in or out.
“There is no way out of here unless you’ve got a helicopter — or a boat,” the Rev. Mike Bitter, pastor of Christian Church of Waterloo, told the Omaha World-Herald.
Officials in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska were urging people not to drive unless necessary. In Iowa, a section of northbound Interstate 29 that runs parallel to the Missouri River was closed due to flooding. Authorities were rerouting motorists at Kansas City, Missouri, using a detour that took people almost 140 miles (225 kilometers) out of the way.
Farther east, the Mississippi River saw moderate flooding in Illinois from Rock Island south to Gladstone. Meteorologist Brian Pierce with the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities office in Davenport, Iowa, said flooding on the Mississippi could get worse a few weeks as more snow melts in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“What we’re having now is the dress rehearsal for the main event that’s going to happen in early April,” he said of the flooding on the Mississippi.
Rising waters along the Pecatonica and Rock rivers flooded some homes in the northern Illinois cities of Freeport, Rockford and Machesney Park. The National Weather Service said record crests were possible along the rivers, with water levels forecast to continue to rise over the next several days and remain above flood stage through most of the weekend.
Freeport resident Mary Martin told the (Freeport) Journal-Standard that she went to the store to get milk and bread when she saw floodwaters were rising Friday.
“Within an hour of going to the store, I could not get back in. That’s how fast the water was coming up,” Martin said.
Here are some photos provided by Gov. Ricketts’ office:
KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — More than three dozen members of the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s marching band will be spending the next few days performing and sightseeing in Ireland.
A university news release says 42 band members will perform in the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin, an event that typically draws 500,000 spectators. The musicians have another parade Monday in Limerick.
Scheduled stops also include Galway, as well as visits to attractions such as the Cliffs of Moher, King John’s Castle and Trinity College’s Old Library. The students are scheduled to return Friday.
The marching band takes an overseas trip every four years — most recently to Norway in 2015. Band director Duane Bierman says the next trip being planned will be to London for a 2023 performance in a New Year’s Day parade.
BROWNVILLE, Neb. (AP) — A nuclear power plant along the swollen Missouri River in southeast Nebraska will likely be shut down early Saturday as the river continues to rise following heavy rain earlier this week, a plant spokesman said Friday.
The Cooper Nuclear Station uses water from the river to generate power, but workers will shut it down if the river reaches a gauge level of 45.5 feet in nearby Brownville. That river level means water is nearing the top of the levee that protects the plant.
The National Weather Service predicts the river will reach that level around 1 a.m. Saturday. If that happens, the fuel rods will be pulled so no heat is generated to make steam that drives the turbines, halting power generation at the plant, according to Nebraska Public Power District spokesman Mark Becker.
Becker said such flood levels don’t pose a danger because the plant maintains federally approved procedures and design features to keep radioactive fuel cool, including two main lines of outside power, on-site generators and a battery system that can power pumps.
The district also has been adding sandbags atop its protective river levee in Nebraska, and Becker noted that a different levee on the Missouri side of the river is lower, meaning any overflow or breach would spill into flood plains there and reduce pressure on the Nebraska side.
So even if the Nebraska levee were topped or breached by the river, the water would flow into about 3 miles (5 kilometers) of flood plain south of Brownville, Becker said. The plant is south of Brownville, which is about 59 miles (95.5 kilometers) south of Omaha.
Becker said he knows of no instance in which floodwater has entered the plant, and he said the plant has never been shut down because of flooding. He noted that during major flooding along the river in 2011, the plant remained “high and dry.”
Water surrounded a different Nebraska nuclear plant, Fort Calhoun, during the 2011 floods, but the plant had been previously shut down for maintenance and floodwaters never entered the generating plant.
The river’s rapid rise this week has been fueled by snowmelt and storm runoff from a late-winter weather system that brought powerful winds and heavy rainfall to eastern Nebraska and other Midwestern states. Howling winds and heavy snow struck the western and central parts of the state.
During Match Day today, 128 students of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine, learned where they will do their physician residency training – typically a period of three to six years of training depending on their chosen medical specialty.
Forty percent of UNMC students are staying in Nebraska for their training, and 64 percent matched in primary care, which includes family medicine, internal medicine, internal medicine/pediatrics, pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology.
Students are matched through a computer program to align their preferences for residency programs in order to fill the thousands of training positions available at U.S. teaching hospitals.
The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®), or The Match®, is a private, non-profit organization that provides an orderly and fair mechanism for matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors.
The UNMC medical students, slated to graduate May 4, are listed by hometown, name, specialty and residency assignment.
CLASS OF 2019 RESIDENCY ASSIGNMENTS
ALBION Carissa Joy Mangus, family medicine, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
ARCADIA Bethany Ann Lueck, surgery, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara CA
BEATRICE Justin Lee Oltman, otolaryngology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
BELLEVUE Andrea Michelle Meinders, surgery, Methodist Hospital, Houston TX
BENNINGTON internal medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans LA
BLAIR Michael Alexander Blaha, anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
CAIRO Cathryn Ann Zentner, family medicine, Lincoln Medical Education Partnership, Lincoln NE
COLUMBUS Rachel Elizabeth Wemhoff, obstetrics and gynecology, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA
COZAD Shauna Mae Lindstedt, obstetrics and gynecology, University of Kansas SOM-Wichita, Wichita KS
DESHLER Tabitha Mae Burger, internal medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston TX
ELKHORN Robert Douglas Barnes, II, anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN; Amy C. Dreessen, internal medicine, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Jason Long, orthopaedic surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC; Peter Michael Maloley, internal medicine, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Frankie Krejci Smith, pathology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
FALLS CITY Hannah Elizabeth Siel, family medicine-primary care, Omaha NE
GRAND ISLAND Brent Joseph Moravec, surgery preliminary, Creighton University Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE, diagnostic radiology, Baptist Memorial Hospital, Memphis TB; Jackson S. Wagoner, surgery preliminary, Stanford University Program, Stanford CA, anesthesiology, University of Arizona COM at Tucson, Tucson AZ; Seth Michael Wardyn, orthopaedic surgery, University of North Dakota SOM, Grand Forks ND
GRESHAM John Paul Bader, internal medicine preliminary – ophthalmology, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington KY
GRETNA Dustin Neal Herring, internal medicine preliminary, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Evan Paul Lange, internal medicine preliminary, University of South Dakota Sanford SOM, Vermillion SD, diagnostic radiology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
HASTINGS Jamie Patricia Dietze, transitional, West Virginia University SOM, Morgantown WV, ophthalmology, West Virginia University Eye Institute, Morgantown WV
HEBRON Thomas Lee Vonderfecht, family medicine-primary care, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals (Grand Island program), Omaha NE
IMPERIAL Daniel William Regier, surgery preliminary, West Virginia University SOM, Morgantown WV
KEARNEY Anna K. Adamson, obstetrics and gynecology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
LINCOLN Marissa Berry, obstetrics and gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston TX; Christopher John Buckley, internal medicine-primary care, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Dain David Finke, internal medicine, Case Western/MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland OH; Derek Preston Hutchins, medicine-pediatrics, Spectrum Health/Michigan State University, Grand Rapids MI; Rebecca Jo Johnson, pediatrics, Stanford University Program, Stanford CA; Zachery Charles Mahler, family medicine, Lincoln Medical Education Partnership, Lincoln NE; Trevon Dean McGill, internal medicine, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Rochester MN; Richard Loeland Poppe (MD December 2018), family medicine, Lincoln Medical Education Partnership, Lincoln NE; Katherine Mae Rilett, medicine-pediatrics, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans LA; Peter B. Sam, surgery preliminary – urology, University of New Mexico SOM, Albuquerque NM; Sinan Shelley Sayood, internal medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon NH, Cole Matthew Sievers, anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Alicia Leah Smith, surgery preliminary, St. Joseph Hospital, Denver CO; Alexandra Lyn Springman, pediatrics, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City IA; Sean Charles Tomes, anesthesiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas TX; Austin Michael Wheeler, internal medicine, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Daniel Jiangdan Zhou, neurology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
NEBRASKA CITY Noah B. Hammond, internal medicine preliminary, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
NORFOLK Taylor Pospisil Maguire, obstetrics and gynecology, Texas Tech University Affiliated Hospitals, Amarillo TX
NORTH PLATTE Jake Michael Bianco, orthopedic surgery, University of Kansas SOM-Wichita, Wichita KS; Zachary James Wordekemper, family medicine-primary care, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
OMAHA Christopher Arkfeld, obstetrics and gynecology, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven CT; Daniel Vincent Arkfeld, otolaryngology, UC Davis Medical Center, Davis CA; Andrew John Blazek, surgery preliminary – urology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Alexandra Jane Burt, psychiatry, Creighton University Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Bianca Bendix Christensen, pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA; Rachel Anne Coburn, medical primary, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison WI; Thomas James Enke, internal medicine, Northwestern McGaw Medical Center, Chicago IL; Abraham Abd Al-Rahman Farhat, family medicine, Clarkson Family Medicine Residency, Omaha NE; Sean Christopher Flor, family medicine, Lincoln Medical Education Partnership, Lincoln NE; Clara Marie Hageman, pediatrics, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City MO; Jonathan Hall, internal medicine, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Aidan Brianne Hoie, anesthesiology, Northwestern McGaw Medical Center, Chicago IL; Jamie Lynn Holland, pediatrics, University of Utah Affiliated Hospitals, Salt Lake City UT; Luke D. Huber, emergency medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh PA; Adam Kaftan, emergency medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon NH; Elizabeth A. McGinn, pediatrics, University of Colorado SOM, Denver CO; Sean Michael McMillan, internal medicine preliminary, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Ryan Patrick Muehling, family medicine, University Hospitals, Columbia MO; Robert J. Muelleman, anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Joseph Connor Mulhall, obstetrics and gynecology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN; Mitchell N. Nohner, internal medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland OR; Joseph Robert Novotny, pediatrics, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Maria Irina Podariu, internal medicine-primary care, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Aaraon Zachariah Priluck, internal medicine preliminary, St. Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston NJ, ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, Baltimore MD; Alexis J. Rogers, family medicine, Clarkson Family Medicine Residency, Omaha NE; Jaeda Michelle Roth, internal medicine, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Rochester MN; Mitchell Schmidt, family medicine, Rapid City Regional Hospital, Rapid City SD; Kaiwen Sun, internal medicine, UC San Francisco, San Francisco CA; Kelsey Renee Tieken, surgery, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Charles Christopher Treinen, pediatrics, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus OH; Garland Michael Upchurch, pathology, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis MO; Eli John Wayman, family medicine, Siouxland Medical Education Foundation, Sioux City IA
O’NEILL Ethan C. Schneider, family medicine, Clarkson Family Medicine Residency, Omaha NE
PALMER Grant William Saltzgaber, family medicine-primary care, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
PAPILLION Andrew Michael Reuss, psychiatry, Creighton University Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; John Blaine Riley, III, anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha
PLATTSMOUTH Hannah Frances Luksa, family medicine-primary care, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals (Grand Island program), Omaha NE
POTTER Kaleb James Thomas, internal medicine-primary care, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
RALSTON Sean Christian Erickson, family medicine, Lincoln Medical Education Partnership, Lincoln NE
ROCA Ethan Daniel Monhollon, emergency medicine, University of Tennessee COM, Memphis TN
RUSKIN Seth Christian Petersen, surgery, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack NJ
SCOTTSBLUFF Ian Clancy Parsley, psychiatry, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis MO
SEWARD Alexander Emory Scheiber, transitional – anesthesiology, San Antonio Military Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston TX; Kara Beth Weishaar, obstetrics and gynecology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City TN
STROMSBURG Anastasia Cherie Burke, family medicine, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals (Scottsbluff program), Omaha NE
TEKAMAH Kiley Marie Cameron, neurology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
WAVERLY Tyler Douglas Evans, internal medicine preliminary, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
WEST POINT Alex Jay Hansen, transitional, Broadlawns Medical Center, Des Moines IA, ophthalmology, University of Arizona COM at South Campus, Tucson AZ
WILCOX Hannah Kay Artz, internal medicine-primary care, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
AUBURN CA Bethany Elizbaeth Feis, internal medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon OH
GRANITE BAY CA Alexandria Marie Delmore Valdrighi, child neurology, UC San Francisco, San Francisco CA
REDLANDS CA Travis Patrick Martin, emergency medicine, University of Arizona COM at Tucson, Tucson, AZ
SAN JOSE CA Michael Ryan Reyes Visenio, surgery, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
STOCKTON CA Adam B. Robinson, surgery preliminary, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
HIGHLANDS RANCH CO Hannah Jean Johnke, surgery, University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington VT
LITTLETON CO Matthew John Kercher, neurosurgery, UC Davis Medical Center, Davis CA
LOUISVILLE KY Nicholas Christopher Anggelis, surgery preliminary, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
FREDERICK MD internal medicine, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
COMSTOCK PARK MI Nicholas William DeKorver, child neurology, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis MO
APPLE VALLEY MN Kelly Ruth Dean, internal medicine, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester MN
EMMONS MN family medicine, Center for Family Medicine, Pierre SD
ROCHESTER MN Travis Ryan Schreier, pediatrics, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
CHILLICOTHE MO Madeleine Rose Wilson, family medicine, Lincoln Medical Education Partnership, Lincoln NE
PLATTE CITY MO Morgan Brittany Johnson, medicine-pediatrics, Indiana University SOM, Indianapolis IN
KALISPELL MT Jacob Franklin, psychiatry, University of Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor MI
NEWBURGH NY Krishna Sarma, surgery, Zucker SOM at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead NY
CHARLOTTE NC Nicholas John Gray Swingle, neurology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville VC
GRANVILLE OH Laura Ann Zima, neurosurgery, University of Texas Medical School, Houston TX
DAKOTA DUNES SD Austin William Svec, internal medicine preliminary, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE, diagnostic radiology, Creighton University Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE; Claire Jordan Svec, psychiatry, University of Arizona COM-Phoenix, Phoenix AZ
JEFFERSON SD Luke Christopher Frankl, internal medicine, University of Kansas SOM-Kansas City, Kansas City KS
VANCOUVER WA Andrew Chiou, internal medicine, UC Davis Medical Center, Davis CA
SUMMERSVILLE WV Jonathan Amar Greenberg, internal medicine, Legacy Emanuel/Good Samaritan, Portland OR
CHINA Lin Luo, internal medicine preliminary, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Flushing NY, diagnostic radiology, Florida Hospital, Orlando FL
COLUMBIA Santiago Rozo, pediatrics, UC San Francisco, San Francisco CA
MEXICO Rosa Angelica Cancino, obstetrics and gynecology, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE
NETHERLANDS Valery Tran, family medicine, Siouxland Medical Education Foundation, Sioux City IA
VIET NAM Duy Minh Ha (MD December 2018), pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas TX
With devastating flooding in several regions of the state, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), partner agencies, emergency officials, and volunteers remain hard at work assisting with historically catastrophic conditions statewide.
NEMA is tracking conditions across the state, responding to requests for assistance from local emergency managers and developing a common operating picture to keep local officials aware of the situation.
The State Emergency Operation Center (SEOC) was opened Wednesday and will remain open as long as needed. The SEOC is staffed by officials from NEMA, Nebraska State Patrol, Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Fire Marshal, Department of Transportation, Department of Natural Resources, Nebraska Military Department, and other agencies.
As Nebraskans pull together to support one another in this severe weather event, we encourage people to be cautious of fraudulent donation sites that are beginning to appear on social media. Monetary donations can be made to the Nebraska/SW Iowa Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
Safety and Security: Evacuations are taking place throughout the state at this time. Travel is extremely dangerous with conditions changing rapidly. Non-essential travel is not advised.
The levee near Valley has overtopped and is possibly breached, causing water to flood the area. The National Weather Service at Valley has relocated. Confirmation on the condition of the levee is impossible to ascertain due to inaccessibility. Alternative options for inspecting the area are being explored.
All evacuation notices, suggested and mandatory, are STRONGLY encouraged. By ignoring evacuation recommendations, extraction requests made later may be delayed.
Troopers with the NSP have been working with local officials and Nebraska Game and Parks officers on water rescues overnight and into the morning. NSP has deployed two light armored vehicles (LAV) to assist with water rescue in north central and northeast Nebraska. The LAVs are able to reach places that a normal rescue vehicle cannot. Troopers are also being repositioned from less affected areas to the more affected areas to assist with flood response. Additional troopers have also been called in from required days off to assist in these emergency situations.
Urban Search and Rescue-Task Force One, the Nebraska National Guard, and the Nebraska State Patrol are working together to provide water and air rescue missions.
Evacuations (full and partial) as of Friday, 1 p.m.:
· Beemer
· Belgrade
· Cedar Rapids
· Dannebrog
· Genoa – Lake Oconee
· Inglewood – DHHS Call Center
· Randolph City Auditorium
· Northern Butler County
· Eastern Richardson County
· Pender – Senior Living
· Broken Bow – Senior Center
· Linoma Beach
· Norfolk
· Fremont – Hospital
· Anselmo
· Lynch
· Wisner
· South Bend Middle Island
· Louisville – Trailer Park
· Cedar Creek – Along River
· Plattsmouth – OMA Fish & Wildlife
· Plattsmouth – Moorehead Island
· Plattsmouth – Beach Road
· Eastern Washington County
· Beemer – 6 homes
· Pleasanton – Homes
· Bucaneer Bay – Neighborhood
· Valley – Evacuation
· Plattsmouth – Low-lying areas
· Sarpy County – Platte & Missouri River
· West Point – Western section
Food, Water, Sheltering: Red Cross reports there are 721 people in Red Cross and partner shelters. Shelters are open in the following places:
Council Bluffs, Iowa (Salem United Methodist Church, 14955 Somerset Avenue)
Bellwood, Nebraska (Bellwood Fire Department, 752 41 Road)
Boelus, Nebraska (CNR Center, 614 Delaware Street)
Columbus, Nebraska (DHS- East Central Health Department, 4321 41st Avenue)
Freemont, Nebraska (First Lutheran Church, 3200 Military Avenue; enter Mission Center on NW corner of campus)
Hader, Nebraska (Hader Fire Hall, 101 Front Street)
Missouri Valley, Nebraska (Rand Community Center, 100 S. 4th Street)
Norfolk, Nebraska (Lutheran High Northeast, 2010 N. 37th Street)
Norfolk, Nebraska (Bel Air Elementary School, 1101 N. 18th Street)
Norfolk, Nebraska (Sacred Heart Elementary School, 2301 Madison Avenue)
North Loup, Nebraska (North Loup Community Center, 112 S. B Street)
Pierce, Nebraska (Pierce Fire Department, 106 1st Street)
Plattsmouth, Nebraska (Plattsmouth Community Center, 308 S. 18th Street)
Randolph, Nebraska (Randolph City Auditorium, 119 N. Main Street)
St. Edward, Nebraska (St. Edward City Hall, 1302 State Highway 39)
Several towns are experiencing disruptions in water service. Updates will be included on the NEMA social media accounts.
For veterans affected by the recent flooding in Nebraska, the Nebraska Veterans Aid (NVA) may be able to assist with food, clothing, and emergency housing (i.e. hotel accommodations). Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis to determine the amount of assistance a veteran and/or their eligible dependents would be able to receive. Additional information on the program is available here: https://veterans.nebraska.gov/nva . Veterans should apply for NVA through their County Veteran Service Officer.
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.
Energy (Power & Fuel): Cooper Nuclear Station is operating at full power. Officials are placing sandbags in critical locations in preparation for rising water levels. The station has declared a notice of unusual event, but there is no risk to public safety. Officials will continue to monitor the situation.
Communications: The radio tower at Verdigre remains inaccessible; however, the Nebraska State Patrol and other radio operators are able to use cellphones for communications.
Transportation: Interstate 80 is now open; however, road conditions remain dangerous across the state.
Governor Pete Ricketts has issued an executive order temporarily waiving overweight limits to help speed disaster relief response times. A copy of the executive order can be found by clicking here.
Information on road closures can be found on the Nebraska 511 map at https://www.511.nebraska.gov. Nebraska 511 provides the most up-to-date travel conditions. Nebraska 511 can be accessed through the 511 smartphone app or by dialing 511.
The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Highway Helpline is available 24-hours-a-day for motorists in need of assistance. Drivers can reach NSP by dialing *55 from any cell phone or 911 in an emergency.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill to merge the state Department of Environmental Quality and the Nebraska State Energy Office.
The measure won final approval in the Legislature Friday on a 45-0 vote, and will now go to the governor. The new agency will get renamed the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Dan Hughes, of Venango, at the request of Gov. Pete Ricketts.
It’s been touted as a way to increase efficiency in state government. State officials say the merger could save roughly $207,000 in annual personnel expenses, and that money would be used instead for operating costs and state aid programs.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — More than 71,000 students attended Nebraska schools during the 2015-2016 academic year that employed police as school resource officers but that lacked counselors, psychologists, nurses and social workers, according to a study by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU found that 23 percent of Nebraska students were in schools with police but without those other support positions, compared to a national rate of 30 percent, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. The group analyzed federal Office for Civil Rights figures from the 2015-2016 school year.
About 80 percent of Nebraska students were at schools that fell below national recommended ratios for students-to-counselors, psychologists, nurses and social workers.
“This data should be a clarion call to all hard-working, compassionate school board members and superintendents that it’s time to prioritize counselors over cops to ensure all Nebraska students can access a high-quality public education,” said Rose Godinez, legal and policy counsel for the ACLU of Nebraska.
The ACLU opposes having police in schools, citing studies that show minority students and those with disabilities are disproportionately arrested, suspended and expelled. Schools instead should allocate funds to hire mental health professionals, ACLU officials said.
Proponents of putting police in schools say it improves safety and helps students develop positive relationships with the police.
Lincoln Public Schools is working to bring more social workers, school psychologists and counselors to the district as part of a broader effort to make schools safer, said Russ Uhing the district’s director of student services.
“That is not done in isolation,” he said. “It’s a coordinated effort around staffing, mental health supports and partnerships with the community. It’s diversion programs, it’s a calm, safe predictive environment … all of those things work to keep a positive climate and culture.”
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Latest on a powerful storm system moving through the Midwest (all times local):
12:40 p.m.
The U.S. Coast Guard says all traffic on the Missouri River from about 50 miles south of Omaha, Nebraska, downstream to St. Joseph, Missouri, has been shut down due to the river’s high water levels.
The order came Friday. The Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also requested all river vessel operators create as little wake as possible between St. Joseph downstream to Kansas City to minimize levee damage.
Officials say the restrictions will be lifted as soon as flooding conditions improve.
The restrictions come as the river reached moderate flood stage at nearly 32 feet on Friday at Omaha, where it’s expected to crest at nearly 34 feet on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. The river is expected to crest at St. Joseph on Tuesday at just over 30 feet. Major flood stage at St. Joseph is 27 feet.
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12:15 p.m.
A massive later-winter storm that dropped heavy snow and rain in the Upper Midwest has increased flood worries in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota.
The National Weather Service says “significant” snowmelt flooding is likely this spring. The chance the river will reach major flood stage in Fargo, North Dakota, has increased from 50 percent last week to 90 percent now.
The neighboring cities of Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota, experienced a record flood 10 years ago. The two cities have taken several measures such as home buyouts and levees since then.
The river crested at about 41 feet in 2009. The latest outlook says there’s less than a 10 percent chance of that happening this year. But moderate to major flooding is still expected throughout the basin.
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11:45 a.m.
Officials in eastern Nebraska are still evacuating communities around rivers that are spilling their banks in the wake of heavy rains and massive snow melt.
Sarpy County officials urged all residents directly along the Platte and Missouri rivers to evacuate Friday morning as water levels continued to rise. The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office says the Missouri River levee has been breached south of Bellevue.
Officials also ordered the evacuation Friday morning of Villa Springs, a small lake community near the Platte River and Springfield, just southeast of Omaha.
The city of Valley, just west of Omaha, was put on alert Friday to be ready to evacuate should the Elkhorn River rise more.
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11:10 a.m.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is increasing releases from a dam along the Missouri River in southeastern South Dakota as flooding escalates across the region due to a massive late-winter storm.
The Corps says there is little storage capacity behind the Gavins Point Dam for runoff. That prompted the releases, which could worsen flooding downstream.
But the agency says it’s helping with levee monitoring and other flood response measures.
Releases from the Fort Randall Dam upstream have been stopped to create more capacity behind Gavins Point. No releases from Fort Randall are expected for several days.
The Corps also is working with the National Weather Service to monitor conditions. The weather service has issued flood warnings along the Missouri River and its tributaries from southeastern South Dakota to St. Louis in Missouri.
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9:45 a.m.
Snow-swept interstates in the Upper Midwest are slowly starting to reopen following a massive late-winter storm that has also caused flooding in several states.
Interstate 29 between Fargo and the Canadian border in eastern North Dakota is now open to travel. KFGO radio reports that a snow plow driver cleared a path on Interstate 94 in southeastern North Dakota on Thursday for an ambulance that needed to get a patient to a hospital.
State government in South Dakota is also returning to normal as travel conditions improve. Most offices have been closed for the last two days because of bad weather and treacherous travel conditions.
Heavy rain falling atop deeply frozen ground has prompted evacuations along swollen rivers in Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa. Meteorologists say the flooding is likely to persist into the weekend in states where frozen ground is preventing rain and snowmelt from soaking into the soil.
No travel is advised Friday morning in areas near Fargo, North Dakota, as heavy snow and poor visibility prompted the closure of two interstates.
In South Dakota, schools in Rapid City are closed as authorities dig out from a blizzard. Flooding on the other side of the state prompted officials in Sioux Falls to go door-to-door and evacuate residents from homes.
Flooding has also made several highways in Wisconsin unpassable. In Fond du Lac, rescuers had to move residents to higher ground after flooding on the Fond du Lac River.
Authorities say a tornado swept through mid-Michigan, damaging homes and knocking out power to thousands late Thursday. State police said first-responders say at least 21 homes were damaged, though no injuries have been reported.
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12 a.m.
A late-winter storm system continues its trek across the Midwest. It will send rain and snow into Minnesota and Illinois on Friday.
The storm left quickly rising floods in its wake in parts of eastern Nebraska and Iowa that saw residents evacuated from their homes, roads washed out in communities, and farmers worried all the water would drown livestock.
The National Weather Service says the system is expected to move into southern Minnesota and parts of Illinois, including Chicago, on Friday, with rain later turning to snow. But meteorologist Paul Fajman in Omaha says the effects aren’t expected to be as bad as what was seen farther west and south.
A blizzard crippled parts of Wyoming, Colorado and western Nebraska on Wednesday.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A Nebraska bill that would increase funding aimed at attracting more startup companies to state is getting support from successful entrepreneurs.
