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It’s another fight against rising waters for many residents in Eastern Nebraska and western Iowa and as heavy rains swell nearby rivers. In March, historic flooding forced thousands of people living along swollen rivers out of their homes, some of those residents again find themselves faced with evacuating in the wake of new flooding. The new flooding comes in the wake of recent heavy rains and as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stepped up releases from Gavins Point Dam in Yankton. As a precaution, Dakota Dunes residents and businesses are being asked to lower water and sewer use. They also want people to plug all lower level drain pipes to keep sewers from backing up in basements.
State transportation officials have closed an estimated 51 miles of interstate in southwest Iowa due to recent rainfall and flooding. Detours will be in place.
Scott Suhr (Sewer) with the Iowa Department of Transportation says the D-O-T did not anticipate the recent heavy rainfall in western Iowa and had actually just re-opened some roadways like a portion of US-34.
((0529suhr 0:15)) With all the rain that we’ve had in the last few days, we had to make that decision to close it again even though it’s frustrating to us because we know the amount of time and effort that was put in to try and restore mobility only to have to close it again.
Transportation officials have closed Interstate 29 from Crescent to Loveland and I-29 from Glenwood to the Missouri state line. Several other segments, including Highway-2 from I-29 to the Nebraska border, are closed as well.
