NORFOLK, Neb. — Unbelievable.
That’s how U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) described the devastation in Norfolk caused by Elkhorn River flooding last week.
Nelson flew Friday afternoon to Norfolk from Washington, D.C., to see the damage along the Elkhorn for himself.
His first stop was a longtime Norfolk business, Love Signs, a sign design and installation business located north of the Elkhorn River along Highway 81. Owners Brad and Kristie Love guided him through the building and workshop, which were flooded with more than a foot of water last week. All of the carpeting in the main building has been torn out, and the bottom half of the drywall has been removed. Several fans buzzed throughout the building, and a bucket full of dirty mops leaned against the front desk.
“We’re surviving,” Brad Love told Nelson. “We’re hanging in there.”
Love Signs lost eight new computers in the flood as well as other property stored in cupboards low to the floor and in closets.
“The waters came up so quickly,” Love said. “We never expected this.”
Nelson said he is working to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, which expired at the end of May. The Democratic senator has co-sponsored a stand-alone bill to extend the program to Dec. 31.
The insurance program, if reauthorized, would help property owners obtain flood insurance because standard homeowners insurance does not cover flooding. Without the program, some Nebraskans have had trouble selling their homes because lenders require owners to have flood insurance on some properties, Nelson said.
“We need to get this fixed,” he said.
Nelson was taken on an aerial tour of the fallen railroad bridge and other areas that suffered damage from floodwaters.
The senator said he understood the importance of the bridge to rail traffic in the Norfolk area and was pleased to see the community working together to get it repaired as quickly as possible.
“That’s one thing about Nebraskans, we’re resilient,” Nelson said. “We get through the tragedies and disasters.”
The senator received a private briefing on the situation at the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce office before heading to Neligh, where he was scheduled to visit more flood-damaged properties.
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
