Nebraska--it's not for everyone. This slogan has been circulating for the past year or so, and the past two days have proven it to be true. The weather lately has been absolutely insane. Nebraska weather is typically crazy, but this year I would say this is more true than ever before. It has been so cold, many days below zero temperatures. Schools closed due to dangerous cold temperatures. I don't know how much snow we have gotten this winter, but I think we are nearing a record. So this week, we all were warned for this epic blizzard that was going to hit on Thursday, with hurricane strength winds. What we weren't prepared for is the disastrous flooding the day before. On Wednesday (3.13.2019), I drove the boys to school in the rain. It was the day of the ESU 8 High School Quiz Bowl, so I drove the high schoolers down to Neligh to compete. It poured on us the entire way there. During our 2nd match of the morning, the coordinator came into our competition room and announced that they were stopping the Quiz Bowl immediately and sending everyone home due to the roads flooding. It was kind of dramatic. I knew it was getting bad, but not to this degree. On our way home, the water was right up to 275 in many places, and even crossing the highway in one spot. Before we even got back to Ewing, schools were starting to close and the flooding was getting to dangerous levels. Luckily, the boys and I made it home safely. Ernie was traveling home from Norfolk and drove through several spots where water was crossing the road. That afternoon, the reports started coming in: Pierce was evacuating, Elgin was underwater, Verdigre was flooded, etc... More and more kept coming. The ground was still frozen, the previous snow we had melted too quickly, and that water had nowhere to go. This combination led to a natural disaster for Nebraska. The rest of Wednesday consisted of even more rain, thunder, and lightening. It felt like spring outside, but we were all preparing for the crazy blizzard to hit on Thursday. On Thursday morning, the Spencer dam broke and took out the bridge.
This led to even more flooding along the Niobrara River. Other areas had serious flooding like Columbus, Bloomfield, St. Edward, Norfolk. Part of Norfolk was evacuated, and the news stations were advertising for people with air boats to come help with rescue efforts. There were helicopter rescues. It was touch and go in Ewing on Thursday, as the Elkhorn River rose. Fortunately, the water started to recede before it flooded the town. We sat by Facebook most of the day, amazed at the pictures and videos that we were seeing from around the state. I remember back in 2010 when this area was flooded, but not like this. I was again thankful for our home on the hill, safe from the threat of flooding.
