Perkins County dodges bullet as much of state suffers

Perkins County and surrounding areas remained mostly unscathed from a “bomb cyclone” that triggered a crippling blizzard in western Nebraska and flooding in the eastern part of the state.

Rain began falling on Wednesday morning, turning to snow around 2 p.m. Although the National Weather Service received no reports for snowfall, they estimated one inch. They received one report of 0.19 inches of precipitation in Madrid. 

While snowfall was lower than anticipated, winds gusted up to 66 mph. 

The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) closed westbound I-80 at Ogallala at 10 a.m. on Wednesday in preparation for the storm, later closing Highway 30 westbound as well. 

Perkins County Sheriff and Emergency Manager Jim Brueggeman said by 1 p.m., the activity had picked up in the county. 

Calls included water running over roadways, stranded motorists, a cable tangled in a powerline, six semi-trucks backed up after Highway 23 closed at the Nebraska/Colorado state line and a tree falling on a car. 

With the threshold for damages was at $11,266, the county will not be declaring a disaster for funding. 

Brueggeman said he felt closing down the interstate ahead of the storm cut down on traffic, giving people time to plan and make other travel arrangements. 

The culprit of the storm was a sudden and severe drop in ground-level air pressure in Colorado, the most pronounced dive since 1950 and something “that will go down in the history books,’’ said Greg Carbin, chief of forecast operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center.

Meteorologists call the rapid change in pressure a “bomb cyclone’’ or  “bombogenesis.’’

The window-rattling storm brought blizzards, floods and tornadoes, stretching from the northern Rocky Mountains to Texas and beyond.

Governor Pete Ricketts, in consultation with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), issued an emergency declaration effective March 12 in anticipation of severe weather set to impact the state.  

Widespread flooding has washed out roads, breached levees, prompted evacuations and created devastating damage throughout eastern Nebraska.

NEMA reported on Monday, March 18, that 17 locations in Nebraska had experienced record flooding, with more expected. As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, 70 counties, 82 cities and four tribes had issued emergency declarations. That’s 75 percent of the state’s 93 counties.

Twenty-nine counties have had mandatory or voluntary evacuations across the state since flooding began last week.

Those who evacuated from the following areas and have been allowed to return to their homes include: Deerfield, Wood River, Bloomfield, Verdigre, Knox County, Norfolk, Genoa, Pierce, Gibbon, Butler County, Colfax County, Cuming County, Dixon County, Garfield County, Harlan County, Howard County, Richardson County, Saunders County, Seward County and Valley County.

Those not yet allowed to return to their homes include: Inglewood, Santee, Belgrade, Fullerton, Peru, Hoskins, Wayne, Boyd County, Rock County, Saline County and Sarpy County.

St. Edwards and Columbus are partially allowed to return to their homes.

At one point, the American Red Cross was operating 22 shelters, housing as many as nearly 1,200 people. Churches and other facilities have also made shelters available. 

As of Monday, the National Guard had rescued 111 people, the Nebraska State Patrol hade made 163 rescues and the Nebraska Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue had rescued 16 people. 

Three deaths have been reported, with two missing and presumed dead. James Wilke, 50, of Columbus, died when a bridge collapsed as he used a tractor to try and reach stranded motorists. 

Aleido Rojas Galan, 52, of Norfolk, was swept away after driving around a barricade in southwestern Iowa.

Betty Hamernik, 80, was found dead after rescuers couldn’t reach her Columbus home due to rising floodwaters and wind gusts.

A Norfolk man was seen on top of his flooded car late Thursday before being swept away. Water also swept away a man after a dam collapse. Both men are still missing.

“My heart goes out to individuals who were lost. It’s amazing only three died based on the extensive amount of flooding. Pretty sobering,” said Senator Dan Hughes of Venango. 

The National Weather Service said mild temperatures this week will increase snow and ice melt resulting in continued flood impacts. Frost depth is a foot or more, resulting in more runoff. 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representatives were in Lincoln Tuesday to work on an expedited declaration of emergency to submit to the White House. In addition, Vice President Mike Pence visited to survey damage with Gov. Ricketts.

Numerous roads remain closed across central and eastern Nebraska. Information on road closures can be found on the Nebraska 511 map at https://www.511.nebraska.gov. Nebraska 511 can also be accessed through the 511 smartphone app or by dialing 511.

Senator Hughes said preliminary estimates include 1 million head of cattle lost due to the flooding, a loss that will have an enormous effect on Nebraska’s economy. 

NEMA reported on Tuesday that the estimated statewide impact totals have surpassed $640 million and are expected to increase significantly. 

As people are returning to their homes, the reality of the devastation is becoming clear. While flooding continues and recovery efforts begin, the extent of the total damage is still unknown. Click here to see how to help.

“We have not had a disaster that has been this widespread in the state, I don’t think, ever,” Gov. Ricketts said Monday while visiting Wood River. “We’ve had disasters where we’ve had a greater loss of life. But as far as how many places have been touched by this, I don’t think there’s ever been a disaster this widespread in Nebraska.”