In the Flood Zone- Nebraska Farms Reeling From Record Storm
Lori Bucholz of Omaha, Nebraska sustained some flooding at her property, which is located near a large lake. Thankfully, all of her animals are safe.
By: Brittany Bevis
The Midwest is currently suffering from what news reports are calling the worst flooding in 50 years, due to a “bomb cyclone,” or winter hurricane, that has hammered states likes Wisconsin, South Dakota, Minnesota, and especially Nebraska, (USA Today, 2019).
The US Army Corps of Engineers has reported that extreme flooding has compromised 200 miles of Missouri River levees in four Midwestern states, which has lead to levees being topped or breached in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Nebraska to survey the extensive damage, which has led to the deaths of three people. The President of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, Steve Nelson, reported that farm and ranch losses could top $1 billion statewide, (The Weather Channel, 2019.)
One family that has seen some damage from the flooding is the Wallinger-Rowans of Wallinger Quarter Horses. Located in north central Nebraska by the Elkhorn and Niobara rivers, they had minor flooding in their pastures and southern horse barn, but it was cleaned up and under control in a few days. Many of their neighbors weren’t so lucky, as Amanda Wallinger-Rowan explains.
“Our horse farm is located on low lying, sub-irrigated, hay meadows,” Amanda says. “This means our early spring can be very wet. This year was an unusual year. We had heavy snow and many days that were below zero. Our rivers were frozen over with thick ice, and road ditches and culverts were full of frozen snow and ice.”
Flooding at Lori Bucholz’s property in Omaha.
“When our days became warmer, the water from our melted snow had no place to go, since our ground was still frozen, so the flooding began. In our part of the country, we’re used to minor flooding, but since we had so much water from the large amounts of snow, our rivers became full. The ice on the river wasn’t moving, and it was very thick. With the water and warm temperatures, the ice started to break apart and soon became huge walls of ice floating down the river. The huge chunks of ice weighed over several tons, and they caused damage. A nearby dam was destroyed by these huge icebergs taking with it many bridges, highways, homes, and communities.”
While the Wallinger farm didn’t sustain much damage, several neighboring ranches suffered from major flooding and had damage to their outbuildings and homes. Also, because several of the area’s highways and bridges have been destroyed, getting to neighboring communities is a struggle.
“It’s so sad how many of these small towns in our area are suffering from terrible conditions,” Amanda says. “No electricity, food shortages, and no feed for their livestock are the struggles they have to deal with. Several of our neighbors had to move cattle in the storms to get to higher ground, and many ranchers lost several head due to the cold temperatures, snow, and flooding. Since it’s calving season, hundreds of calves were lost to the high waters.”
The Wallinger’s community of Stuart currently has minor flooding, and everyone is praying the water doesn’t get any higher. “My father, Steve, spent several nights hauling sand for our small town, to help stop the flooding from the Elkhorn River. The water is slowly receding in the pastures with the water temperatures, but the rivers are still swollen. Everyone is worried that flooding will continue or become worse because of the melting snow from the northern states.”
For many, the damage has already been done. “There was a photo of horses in a flooded barn on the news. The family was from Omaha. The family explained that they locked the horses up hoping the barn wouldn’t flood. Then, it did. Emergency services advised people with livestock to fill kick tubs with hay and let them float on the water and to keep water buckets tied high. Several farmers have lost calves and pigs. One farmer said he lost 700 pigs. They’re estimating 1 billion in damages for Nebraska.”
“At Wallinger Show Horses, we feel very blessed that we had only minor damage and flooding. Many neighbors and friends were not as fortunate. The broodmares and foals were on high ground and safe and dry in our foaling barn. Our cow/calf operation, which is north of us, was on the high sandy ground and all of the cows and calves are doing well.”
“We feel very lucky to be living in our great state of Nebraska. Our small, midwestern community is full of strong and hardworking people. When times get hard, we all work together and take on what Mother Nature throws at us.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Nebraska and the midwestern states currently dealing with the flooding crisis.
