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Feds pledge $50 million to help remove failed Spencer Dam

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A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

Editor's Pick Topical Alert

Feds pledge $50 million to help remove failed Spencer Dam

1 of 2

Spencer Dam

The Spencer Dam in northeast Nebraska was destroyed by flooding in March 2019. The Niobrara River had been running at 5 or 6 feet of gauge height before it broke through the 90-year-old dam. After that, an 11-foot wave of water rolled through.

Spencer Dam

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Peter Salter

March of 2019 was just the start of what will be a years-long struggle to repair and rebuild livelihoods along major Midwest river systems. A massive storm drove river levels higher and higher in mid-March until hundreds of levees across the Missouri, Mississippi and Arkansas River basins failed. Then came the record rains.The Army Corps of Engineers estimated damage along the Missouri and Platte Rivers alone caused more than $1 billion in damage. The floods of 2019 punched so many holes in the river levee system, just the initial fixes aren't expected to be finished until late 2021. The Corps is now racing to patch as many holes as quickly as possible, but farmers, homeowners, even entire towns are still vulnerable as the 2021 wet season ramps up.The U.S. levee system is a true mishmash protecting millions of people and trillions of dollars of property and infrastructure near rivers. Much of it was built up following the Great Depression with no one agency charged with maintaining it. Some levees the federal government built, but the vast majority are built and maintained by locals. That makes for a massive range in the quality of levees, all of them expected to hold up for the safety of others.Based on data analysis of the National Levee Database, U.S. levees currently protect 19.5 million people, 5.5 million structures and $2.5 trillion in property value.It's an old, incredibly complex system facing a new reality: It wasn't built for floods like this. Experts agree wet seasons that are becoming more and more severe due to climate change will continuously challenge and damage one of the largest infrastructure systems in the country.

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Nebraska dam had history of ice issues before fatal failure

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People are also reading…

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'Swept off the map' — Family loses brother, business when Niobrara dam failed

Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts

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Desperation and danger in search for man missing in the Niobrara

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Judge says wrongful death suit filed by family of man killed after dam collapse can move forward

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1. 11-foot wall of water: One dam breaks, three counties suffer
Desperation and danger in search for man missing in the Niobrara

Close

Nebraska's losses from 2019 flooding, blizzard exceed $3.4 billion

Nebraska's losses from 2019 flooding, blizzard exceed $3.4 billion

Nebraska’s disastrous weather in 2019 caused more than $3.4 billion in losses, according to a recently released federal report. Read more

The Spencer Dam collapse

A 92-year-old dam that collapsed March 14, 2019 amid had been classified by state inspectors last year as having a “significant” risk of causing damage.

A man who lived in a home below the dam, Kenny Angel, was swept away in the collapse and is presumed dead, and a quarter mile section of U.S. Highway 281 was washed out. Read more

Spencer Dam: What went wrong?

A four-member team from the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, a national nonprofit organization, will conduct an independent review of the Spencer dam.

The review will focus on what can be learned about the dam collapse to guide future dam construction, according to Lori Arthur, a spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Department. Read more

Offutt Air Force Base couldn't stop the floodwaters

Even the U.S. Air Force couldn’t stop the Mighty Missouri River from flooding Offutt Air Force Base. Between March 16 and 17 sandbagging efforts were called off as flood waters began to rise. Read more

Offutt Air Force Base flooding repairs close to $1 billion

Six months after what 55th Wing officials describe as “historic and disastrous” flooding swamped one-third of Offutt Air Force Base and destroyed 137 structures, the expected costs of rebuilding continued to mount.

Lt. Col. Chris Conover, who spearheaded the recovery and reconstruction project, said in September that the figure stood at $790 million in September. He warned the cost most likely would rise further — perhaps even hitting $1 billion. Read more

As the Platte River swelled into Fremont, the city became an island

The Platte River swelled into Fremont, turning the city into an island.

Shelters in Fremont alone counted up to 1,100 people, with more evacuees expected from Snyder, Nebraska. And those numbers don’t capture the swaths of people riding out the flood in hotel rooms or crashing on the couches of family and friends.

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Hundreds gather in Fremont for flood-risk briefing

Hundreds of people filled Christensen Field Arena in Fremont to hear a National Weather Service update on this year’s flood risk Feb. 4.

The crowd received a nuanced, but somewhat reassuring, explanation from National Weather Service hydrologist Dave Pearson. Read more

Paradise Lakes community residents deal with mixed messages

Before the water even reached the community, Paradise Lake residents were sent mixed messages. 

Law enforcement officials went door to door encouraging residents to evacuate, Paradise Lakes residents received a different message from their landlord: Your homes are safe. Read more

Paradise Lakes community's imminent demolition

The Bellevue City Council voted to condemn the community and told residents that they had until the end of July to take action on removing their homes. The remaining structures were expected to be razed by a city-hired company in early August.

Jim Ristow, Bellevue’s city administrator, said in August that officials are now taking a cautious approach moving forward because they don’t want taxpayers to be on the hook for the estimated $1.2 million needed for demolition.

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Floods cut off access to Plattsmouth water treatment plant

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sought bids to close the breach in the south bank of the Platte River that had stranded the city’s water treatment plant during the March flooding.

For months, the plant was accessible only by boat. Now, the water is gone, but Plattsmouth officials have wondered for how long. Read more

Plattsmouth's water treatment plant back up and running

Plattsmouth notched a major victory in September when its flood-battered water treatment plant got back up and running, ending months of water rationing.

But the city’s ongoing battle with the waters of the Platte River isn’t over. Read more

Winslow: a town considers relocating

Winslow floods.

One in 1996 brought water inside town and into basements, but it was nothing like the surge of water that clobbered Winslow in mid-March, when historic flooding struck parts of central and eastern Nebraska.

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Winslow: A town ready to relocate

A group of state and federal officials who met in Winslow in January said plenty of hurdles stand in the village's way.

Those obstacles include state law, the likely millions of dollars needed to put in new streets and utilities in Winslow 2.0 and its dwindling population.

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Camp Ashland hit hard by flooding

On St. Patrick’s Day weekend 2019, a violent chute of water raged through a gash in the levee that for decades protected the Nebraska National Guard’s main training site from the Platte River. Floodwaters surged into classrooms, barracks and offices, wrecking furniture and tools and leaving a muddy watermark 5 feet high on inside walls.

Nebraska National Guard receives full funding for repairs to Camp Ashland

The Nebraska National Guard learned in January that it will receive full funding, totaling $62.3 million, to fully rebuild the Camp Ashland training site, according to a statement released Wednesday by the state’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac. Read more

Floods came to Nebraska farmland and left tons of sand behind

Tons of sand, sediment and silt — some in dunes as high as 10 feet — were scattered across the eastern half to two-thirds of the state by the March flooding. In some areas, washed-out cornstalks are 3 to 4 feet deep. Tree limbs are in piles and topsoil was washed away. Read more

A King Lake family returns home in time for Christmas

Trish and Salvador Duran hosted Christmas this year for their extended family, an act of hospitality that once seemed impossible after almost 4 feet of floodwater swept into their house in King Lake in March.

King Lake is an unincorporated area, a secluded neighborhood of 1 square mile that sits next to the Elkhorn River and not far from the Platte River, east of Valley and north of Waterloo. During historic flooding in March, the Elkhorn spilled out of its banks, sending water into almost all of the 111 homes in King Lake. Read more

Pacific Junction in Mills County, Iowa was hit hard when levees failed

Pacific Junction, with a population of less than 500, was hit hard by levee failures in March that sent floodwaters streaming into town, filling every structure with feet of water. It wasn't until mid-April that the last batch of residents could return to their homes and businesses and start clearing out flood-soaked possessions. Read more

Flooding has taken a toll on Mills County, Iowa; even when it comes to caucusing

Mills County Democrats worried all month whether many of the 470 former residents of this flooded town would attend a caucus Monday.

Last March, the Missouri River inundated all 210 homes and businesses here, and a caucus day drive through town showed the extent of damage 10 months later. Most local homes, storefronts and gathering spaces remain boarded up. Only about 20 households have moved back so far, officials say, and the only evidence of the presidential race was a single campaign sign in front of the rebuilt home of Rick and Cherry Parham. Read more

Flood of 2019: The aftermath and the recovery

As Nebraska and Iowa brace for the possibility of spring flooding here's a look back at the devastating floods of 2019. 

Nebraska's losses from 2019 flooding, blizzard exceed $3.4 billion

Nebraska's losses from 2019 flooding, blizzard exceed $3.4 billion

Nebraska’s disastrous weather in 2019 caused more than $3.4 billion in losses, according to a recently released federal report. Read more

The Spencer Dam collapse

A 92-year-old dam that collapsed March 14, 2019 amid had been classified by state inspectors last year as having a “significant” risk of causing damage.

A man who lived in a home below the dam, Kenny Angel, was swept away in the collapse and is presumed dead, and a quarter mile section of U.S. Highway 281 was washed out. Read more

Spencer Dam: What went wrong?

A four-member team from the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, a national nonprofit organization, will conduct an independent review of the Spencer dam.

The review will focus on what can be learned about the dam collapse to guide future dam construction, according to Lori Arthur, a spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Department. Read more

Offutt Air Force Base couldn't stop the floodwaters

Even the U.S. Air Force couldn’t stop the Mighty Missouri River from flooding Offutt Air Force Base. Between March 16 and 17 sandbagging efforts were called off as flood waters began to rise. Read more

Offutt Air Force Base flooding repairs close to $1 billion

Six months after what 55th Wing officials describe as “historic and disastrous” flooding swamped one-third of Offutt Air Force Base and destroyed 137 structures, the expected costs of rebuilding continued to mount.

Lt. Col. Chris Conover, who spearheaded the recovery and reconstruction project, said in September that the figure stood at $790 million in September. He warned the cost most likely would rise further — perhaps even hitting $1 billion. Read more

As the Platte River swelled into Fremont, the city became an island

The Platte River swelled into Fremont, turning the city into an island.

Shelters in Fremont alone counted up to 1,100 people, with more evacuees expected from Snyder, Nebraska. And those numbers don’t capture the swaths of people riding out the flood in hotel rooms or crashing on the couches of family and friends.

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Hundreds gather in Fremont for flood-risk briefing

Hundreds of people filled Christensen Field Arena in Fremont to hear a National Weather Service update on this year’s flood risk Feb. 4.

The crowd received a nuanced, but somewhat reassuring, explanation from National Weather Service hydrologist Dave Pearson. Read more

Paradise Lakes community residents deal with mixed messages

Before the water even reached the community, Paradise Lake residents were sent mixed messages. 

Law enforcement officials went door to door encouraging residents to evacuate, Paradise Lakes residents received a different message from their landlord: Your homes are safe. Read more

Paradise Lakes community's imminent demolition

The Bellevue City Council voted to condemn the community and told residents that they had until the end of July to take action on removing their homes. The remaining structures were expected to be razed by a city-hired company in early August.

Jim Ristow, Bellevue’s city administrator, said in August that officials are now taking a cautious approach moving forward because they don’t want taxpayers to be on the hook for the estimated $1.2 million needed for demolition.

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Floods cut off access to Plattsmouth water treatment plant

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sought bids to close the breach in the south bank of the Platte River that had stranded the city’s water treatment plant during the March flooding.

For months, the plant was accessible only by boat. Now, the water is gone, but Plattsmouth officials have wondered for how long. Read more

Plattsmouth's water treatment plant back up and running

Plattsmouth notched a major victory in September when its flood-battered water treatment plant got back up and running, ending months of water rationing.

But the city’s ongoing battle with the waters of the Platte River isn’t over. Read more

Winslow: a town considers relocating

Winslow floods.

One in 1996 brought water inside town and into basements, but it was nothing like the surge of water that clobbered Winslow in mid-March, when historic flooding struck parts of central and eastern Nebraska.

kAm$@ E96 C6D:56?ED @7 E9:D =:EE=6 G:==286 — H96C6 E96 A@AF=2E:@? E92E 9@G6C65 2C@F?5 `__ 367@C6 5:D2DE6C DECF4< — 2C6 A@?56C:?8 2 A:G@E2= BF6DE:@? 23@FE :ED 7FEFC6] v@ D9@F=5 E96J DE2J @C D9@F=5 E96J 8@n k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^HHH]@>292]4@>^?6HD^DE2E602?50C68:@?2=^D9@F=5\E96J\DE2J\@C\D9@F=5\E96J\8@\27E6C\7=@@5\E:?J^2CE:4=60b`hfb_23\3gh5\dfee\g5e`\d237fhef_32e]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?<Qm#625 >@C6k^2mk^Am

Winslow: A town ready to relocate

A group of state and federal officials who met in Winslow in January said plenty of hurdles stand in the village's way.

Those obstacles include state law, the likely millions of dollars needed to put in new streets and utilities in Winslow 2.0 and its dwindling population.

kAmQ(6 2== H2?E H92EVD 36DE 7@C (:?D=@H[ x H2?E E@ >2<6 E92E 23F?52?E=J 4=62C[Q D2:5 |@==J q2C8>2??[ 2 C64@G6CJ DFA6CG:D@C 7@C E96 }63C2D<2 t>6C86?4J |2?286>6?E p86?4J] Q(6 H2?E E@ 86E E@ J6D[ 3FE E96C6VD 2 =@E @7 ?@VD C:89E ?@H]Q k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^HHH]@>292]4@>^?6HD^A=FD^H6\2:?\E\8@:?8\?@H96C6\E:?J\7=@@5\52>2865\H:?D=@H\H2?ED^2CE:4=60b2e`eg`2\gca2\d_7f\ge57\6_5e445b4_dg]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?<Qm#625 >@C6k^2mk^Am

Camp Ashland hit hard by flooding

On St. Patrick’s Day weekend 2019, a violent chute of water raged through a gash in the levee that for decades protected the Nebraska National Guard’s main training site from the Platte River. Floodwaters surged into classrooms, barracks and offices, wrecking furniture and tools and leaving a muddy watermark 5 feet high on inside walls.

Nebraska National Guard receives full funding for repairs to Camp Ashland

The Nebraska National Guard learned in January that it will receive full funding, totaling $62.3 million, to fully rebuild the Camp Ashland training site, according to a statement released Wednesday by the state’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac. Read more

Floods came to Nebraska farmland and left tons of sand behind

Tons of sand, sediment and silt — some in dunes as high as 10 feet — were scattered across the eastern half to two-thirds of the state by the March flooding. In some areas, washed-out cornstalks are 3 to 4 feet deep. Tree limbs are in piles and topsoil was washed away. Read more

A King Lake family returns home in time for Christmas

Trish and Salvador Duran hosted Christmas this year for their extended family, an act of hospitality that once seemed impossible after almost 4 feet of floodwater swept into their house in King Lake in March.

King Lake is an unincorporated area, a secluded neighborhood of 1 square mile that sits next to the Elkhorn River and not far from the Platte River, east of Valley and north of Waterloo. During historic flooding in March, the Elkhorn spilled out of its banks, sending water into almost all of the 111 homes in King Lake. Read more

Pacific Junction in Mills County, Iowa was hit hard when levees failed

Pacific Junction, with a population of less than 500, was hit hard by levee failures in March that sent floodwaters streaming into town, filling every structure with feet of water. It wasn't until mid-April that the last batch of residents could return to their homes and businesses and start clearing out flood-soaked possessions. Read more

Flooding has taken a toll on Mills County, Iowa; even when it comes to caucusing

Mills County Democrats worried all month whether many of the 470 former residents of this flooded town would attend a caucus Monday.

Last March, the Missouri River inundated all 210 homes and businesses here, and a caucus day drive through town showed the extent of damage 10 months later. Most local homes, storefronts and gathering spaces remain boarded up. Only about 20 households have moved back so far, officials say, and the only evidence of the presidential race was a single campaign sign in front of the rebuilt home of Rick and Cherry Parham. Read more

+2 

Kenny Angel disappeared after the Spencer Dam failed.

COURTESY PHOTO

Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LJSPeterSalter

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Spencer Dam

The Spencer Dam in northeast Nebraska was destroyed by flooding in March 2019. The Niobrara River had been running at 5 or 6 feet of gauge height before it broke through the 90-year-old dam. After that, an 11-foot wave of water rolled through.

Kenny Angel disappeared after the Spencer Dam failed.

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