Casino back to 24 hours: Thursday marked the first day of 24-hour operation at the WinnaVegas casino in Sloan, Iowa, since early June.
Floodwaters closed the casino June 10. By July 28, amphibious vehicles were in place to ferry customers for limited hours of operation.
The return to round-the-clock operations means all 350 casino workers are back on the job, officials said.
Plans also were announced Thursday for a fall version of Riverfest at the casino. Normally held in the summer, the event that features musical acts has been reset for Oct. 7 and 8.
Casino Omaha near Onawa, Iowa, remains closed.
Levee inspections: Now that the Missouri River has dropped to the base of Omaha-area levees, inspections have begun to determine the extent of repairs necessary.
Marty Grate of the Omaha Public Works Department said teams of city and Army Corps of Engineers workers began assessing levees Wednesday. Levees remain closed to the public, and security patrols will continue around the clock as long as temporary pumps are pumping water out of the city and over the levees, Grate said.
The city is cutting its geotechnical monitoring of the levees to once daily, he said.
Sioux City interchange opens: The Interstate 29 and Hamilton Boulevard interchange in Sioux City has fully reopened to traffic, the Iowa Department of Transportation said.
The ramps on the south side of the interchange had been closed due to flooding. The roadway has been cleaned and repainted.
Housekeeping tips: A free workshop on entering and cleaning up residences damaged by floodwaters will be held Tuesday at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension office in Blair.
Shirley Niemeyer, a housing and environmental specialist and professor emeritus, will join Carroll Welte and Becky Versch in hosting the workshop. It will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the extension office, 597 Washington St.
Topics will include personal safety and hazards, documenting losses, cleaning up and drying out a home and how to reduce mold spores.
For more information, contact 402-426-9455.
Disaster help over holiday: Nebraskans who have suffered flood damage can continue to apply for federal disaster aid during the holiday weekend, even though walk-in sites will be closed.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency administrative hotline and online sites will be available.
Visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800-621-3362.
If you need a low-interest loan, call 800-659-2955 or visit sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.
To receive aid for Missouri River flooding, Nebraskans must have a residence in one of these eligible counties: Boyd, Burt, Cass, Dakota, Dixon, Douglas, Knox, Sarpy and Washington.
Sarpy disaster aid center: FEMA is parking its mobile aid center in Sarpy County on Tuesday and Wednesday. For a face-to-face meeting with someone from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Small Business Administration, stop by the RV parked at the Bellevue Fire Department Training Center, 3100 Cornhusker Road. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
One-stop, lots of answers: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension service is planning a Flood Recovery Resource Fair for residents and business owners who will be returning to flood-damaged properties. The open house will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at the City Auditorium, 1315 K St. in Tekamah. Staff from FEMA, Nebraska agencies and UNL will be on hand to answer questions about financial aid and restoration of landscapes, homes and buildings. For more information, visit flood.unl.edu/
Donate to help out: The Pottawattamie County Community Foundation has set up a relief program to distribute small grants to flood victims. Individuals can apply for grants up to $500, while agencies can apply for up to $2,000. For more information, call 712-256-7007, or email the foundation at info@ourpccf.org, or visit ourpccf.org .
World-Herald staff writers Nancy Gaarder, Kevin Cole and Joanne Stewart, with the World-Herald News Service.
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