Nebraska Town of Valley Flooded After River Levels Reach Record High

Water levels along the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers in Nebraska’s Douglas County reached all-time highs on Friday, March 15, sparking evacuations and rescues. Widespread flooding affected much of the state and parts of Iowa. This aerial footage was shared by Governor Peter Ricketts on Saturday and shows flooding in Valley and Waterloo, which lie between the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers, and a rescue in Arlington on Friday. Arlington lies about seven miles north of Waterloo on the Elkhorn River. Douglas County Emergency Management said they had rescued 117 people and 63 pets, including 53 dogs, by 9.40pm on Friday. According to the Omaha World-Herald, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said it spent days telling Valley residents to evacuate ahead of the flooding, but many did not heed their warning. The National Weather Service’s office in Valley was among the buildings evacuated. The Red Cross said late on Friday that is had established seven shelters in Nebraska and three in Iowa for displaced residents. However, the Valley Police Department said on Saturday that a shelter in Douglas County West was forced to close due to plumbing issues, and a shelter in Fremont, which was going to take in the displaced resident, was also shut down after a dike breach. “We are currently working on an alternative shelter, but the city is pretty much entirely under water so we have limited alternatives,” police said. “We absolutely apologize for this, but nobody has ever dealt with this much water before.” Credit: Gov Pete Ricketts via Storyful