Heavy rainfall and rapid snowmelt have caused catastrophic flooding across the Missouri River Basin and three-fourths of Nebraska’s 93 counties have been declared an emergency in #flood19, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts told National Public Radio. The cost of the damage has surpassed $1.3 billion. Ricketts estimates more than 2,000 homes and 340 businesses were damaged or destroyed by the flood.
A video showing the National Guard escorting a convoy of trucks to Fremont, Neb., went viral.
Then there’s the story of the beer frig that was referred to as a “gift from the heavens.”
Here’s an aerial view of the flooding nears the towns of Hooper and Winslow, Nebraska.
In Missouri, the Missouri River town of Craig, population 250, was evacuated as the river rose. Residents of Lewis and Clark Village were also evacuated, Accuweather reported.
The Missouri River is also flooding southwestern Iowa, with four breaches along Iowa’s side of the river. One levee district told the Des Moines Register the damage in Iowa could reach into the billions of dollars. As of March 29, 41 of Iowa’s 99 counties have received disaster declarations.
In Minnesota, road closures continue as floodwaters rise, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
In Fargo, N.D., the Red River is expected to reach major flood stage.
Southern states aren’t immune from flooding either, with major flooding on the Mississippi River occurring near Arkansas City, Arkansas; Natchez, Mississippi, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In Canada, farmers are impacted by flooding, too.
An outlook released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls for an elevated risk of flooding through May, CNN reported.