‘Worst yet to come’ in rising Missouri River, with flooding expected to be moderate and short-lived

Haworth Park in Bellevue, photo taken around noon on Monday, June 24. All mobile trailers have been cleared from the area and city officials expect low-lying areas to flood further as the Missouri River rises several more feet before it is to crest Tuesday or Wednesday. (Courtesy of City of Bellevue)

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information about closings and warnings.

BELLEVUE, Nebraska — Rising waters along the Missouri River in the Bellevue and Omaha area are expected to cause moderate to minor flooding, with the “worst yet to come” this week.

John Winkler, general manager of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, said Monday that the episode should be “short-lived” in Nebraska, with normal levels anticipated to return next week.

He said households around Elbow Bend in Bellevue have been notified to evacuate, and lakeside communities close to the Platte River have been cautioned to stay alert.

The City of Bellevue on Monday closed American Heroes Park, the Haworth Park Campground and public boat docks. A city spokesman said all mobile trailers have been cleared from the grounds.

He said Bellevue hasn’t had a flood event bad enough to clear out the campground since 2019.

Pillen declares state of emergency

Gov. Jim Pillen, saying he is acting proactively, declared a state of emergency Monday for Nebraska counties that abut the Missouri River to free up state funds should the need arise by anticipated flooding.

The emergency proclamation confers authority to Nebraska’s National Guard adjutant general to activate resources to protect lives and property.

Heavy rains in eastern South Dakota, northeastern Nebraska and northwestern Iowa have led to the flooding, road closures and evacuations in affected areas, Pillen said in a media statement.

Over the weekend, Pillen deployed a military helicopter and four-member Army National Guard crew to help the Iowa National Guard in search and rescue operations in and around Sioux City.

Both Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a request for people to remain off the Missouri River in coming days as water levels continue to surpass flood stage.

Preparing for the worst, expecting less

“The worst is yet to come,” Winkler said Monday, adding that the Missouri River is expected to peak Tuesday or Wednesday at 35.1 feet before dropping and returning to normal three or four days later. “But it should be short-lived.”

Winkler said that while officials are expecting fairly moderate flooding, they are preparing for the worst.

The NRD and City of Omaha planned notify BNSF Railroad that track closure will be required on Tuesday so that the new flood wall system can be deployed to prevent the flanking of the levee system via the railroad tracks.

The Corps of Engineers has warned boaters to stay off the river due to quickly rising and dangerous water levels and debris, including large trees, floating downstream.

Wastewater treatment plants along the river are taking precautions, including sandbagging.

Winkler said Offutt Air Force Base is well protected by a new levee system.

The City of Omaha has closed the entire length of the Missouri River flood levee to the public for flood fighting operations. That means sections of the Riverfront Trail are closed. 

Parts of the downtown Omaha riverfront parks also are closed, including the Lewis and Clark Landing, the urban beach and Riverfront Plaza.

The top elevation of Omaha’s 13-mile levee and flood wall that protects portions of the eastern part of the city, including Eppley Airfield, is well above the projected crest and is being closely monitored, Omaha officials said. 

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Monday that Riverview Marina State Recreation Area, just east of Nebraska City, and the lower portions of Indian Cave State Park have been closed until further notice because of the Missouri River surges.

The department earlier announced that Pelican Point, Two Rivers and Louisville State Recreation Areas and Ponca State Park had been closed or partially closed because of floodwaters.

Schilling, Marsh Wren and Harold W. Andersen Wildlife Management Areas also are closed because flooding has affected access roads.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts no major impact if levee systems hold.

“This is an event,” Winkler said. “It’s been handled. We’re preparing.”

Notifying those in the path

According to the Papio-Missouri NRD, the high stages of the Missouri River are the result of up to 15 inches of rain over a 300-mile area in South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska, as well as an additional 6 to 8 inches of rain adjacent to that 300-mile area — all in the last 72 hours.

As of Monday, access to Bellevue’s Haworth Park baseball and softball fields were still allowed. Games are to be played as scheduled since the fields sit on the levee-protected side of Haworth Park, Bellevue officials said in a statement.

But, they said, access to the campground, boat docks and trails along the river are not allowed until further notice. The Bellevue Loop Trail is to close by the end of Monday, as well.

Bellevue has opened its Emergency Operations Center to further monitor rising waters, and the city police and fire departments have notified anyone in the path of projected flooding.  

The NRD said that Platte River levels continue to drop and that no significant flooding has been reported with the Platte or the Elkhorn Rivers. The NRD said that with no significant rain in the forecast for the next seven to 10 days, that should assist in getting the levels of those rivers down to a more normal level.

Pillen, speaking Monday afternoon on his monthly radio call-in show, urged Nebraskans to stay off the Missouri River all along the Iowa-Nebraska border this week.

“Go to other places to stay cool, but this week it’s not the place to be,” Pillen said. 

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds later joined Pillen in urging people to stay off the river.

Earlier storm activity

In a separate weather-related matter, Pillen said he took action to help mitigate the impacts of a series of strong storms that damaged nearly 20 Nebraska counties May 20 to June 3.

The severe thunderstorms, high winds, tornadoes and flooding that occurred in that period resulted in damage to private property, public property and infrastructure in Butler, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Dundy, Fillmore, Hamilton, Hayes, Hitchcock, Howard, Keith, Lincoln, Platte, Polk, Red Willow, Saunders and Washington Counties.

Pillen issued an emergency disaster declaration for that situation as well, freeing up state funds and resources to help the counties address related damage. 

The governor asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency  for additional time to complete preliminary damage assessments in those counties. Those assessments will further support the state’s request for federal assistance. The 30-day extension, if approved, would last until Aug. 2.

Nebraska Examiner reporter Zach Wendling contributed to this report.

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