New overnight downpours gave residents along the flooding Elkhorn River even more to worry about.
Residents of the King Lake community along the Elkhorn River north of Waterloo were evacuating by about 7:15 p.m. Sunday, a Douglas County 911 dispatcher said. Water poured into the area, causing substantial flooding within minutes, said Rich Tesar, a member of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District board.
The King Lake evacuation was voluntary, the 911 dispatcher said. But many of the residents, whose homes are built high enough to avoid occasional flooding, apparently felt threatened Sunday.
Others stayed despite the flooding. Tesar said he saw people walking through waist-deep water to get to a bar.
Fire and rescue crews later had to help some of those who decided to stay. By midnight, rescuers from Waterloo and Valley were called out three times to help people stranded and in danger because of the flood.
Rescue crews had been busy earlier in the day helping others escape elsewhere in northwest Douglas County.
The stragglers who had to be rescued were a minority, though, Tesar said. “Most people had advance notice, so they took precautions and got out,” he said.
Brandy and Kevin Kern were among those who wanted to stay home and prevent what damage they could. But they had an emergency plan. “We have an airboat if we need to go,” Brandy Kern said.
The couple spent Sunday watching floodwaters creep ever closer to their farmstead seven miles west of Valley.
“We're on an island now, surrounded by water,” the pregnant Kern said by phone as she kept an eye on the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Hannah. Already about 37 of the couple's 40 acres of alfalfa was underwater. Kevin Kern and his cousin spent much of Sunday piling sandbags to keep the water at bay. Only about three feet of dry ground stood between the water and the Kern home by Sunday evening.
The Kerns described it as the worst flooding they'd seen in eight years, but they said they were optimistic that they would not have to evacuate their house near Nebraska Highway 64.
“As long as there is no danger, we want to wait it out,” Brandy Kern said.
Even before the overnight storms, the Elkhorn River rose dramatically Sunday, Tesar said, to the highest levels in recent memory. The Elkhorn surged to 17.19 feet at Waterloo at 8:15 p.m. Sunday and was expected to crest at 19 feet by 8 p.m. Monday, just .10 of an inch below the record level there, Tesar said.
Flood stage on the Elkhorn at Waterloo is 17 feet.
The river was expected to stay at 19 feet for 12 hours and finally fall back to bank level by Friday.
The river's raging current also was dangerous Sunday, flowing at 40,000 cubic feet per minute, Tesar said. He said normal flow for this time of year would be about 1,500 cubic feet per minute.
“We're in an extreme situation,” he said Sunday night.
Tesar said he expected farmers in the area to suffer massive crop damage. “It's a sad sight to see such devastation in the northwest part of the county,” he said.
Gov. Dave Heineman, after an aerial tour of affected areas, said it's important for the state's largest metropolitan area to understand how significant the flooding has been.
“We want people in Omaha to appreciate that it's on their doorsteps,” Heineman said. “If you live in west Omaha, you're within 10 miles of that damage and you probably don't realize it. These individuals are going to need your help.”
Tesar reported extensive lowland flooding in the Waterloo area and farther south.
The elevated 252nd Street, which stands 4 to 5 feet above surrounding cropland, was under water north of Valley. The posts of the fence around the Elkhorn Crossing Recreation Area near 252nd and Bennington Road were nowhere in sight Sunday.
“It's extremely deep and dangerous in the area,” Tesar said.
The Elkhorn River backed up into Rawhide Creek, causing widespread flooding.
The National Weather Service office in Valley said flood warnings for Douglas County will remain in effect through Monday.
In Sarpy County, a Sheriff's Office spokesman said deputies had been sent to the Iske Place area along the Missouri River south of Bellevue on Saturday to warn residents of potential flooding.
Most of the residents declined to leave, he said.
“These are river people who say they know when to move out or not,” Lt. Mark Trapp said.
Contact the writer:
444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com
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