March 19, 2019
More than two-thirds of Nebraska’s counties in a state of emergency. Fourteen bridges damaged or destroyed, severing major transportation corridors. Extensive livestock and crop losses. And three confirmed deaths — so far.
“The most extensive damage our state has ever experienced,” Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday, summing up the impact of the past week’s catastrophic flooding.
As floodwaters in some areas began to level out or slowly recede, the reality set in that cleanup and reconstruction efforts would stretch months — or longer.
Five days after the flooding began in earnest, the magnitude of devastation continued to come into focus as 64 of Nebraska’s 93 counties and four tribal areas had declared a state of emergency.
