Eastern Nebraska braces for Missouri River flood waters

Flood waters along the Missouri River to the north continue to rise as the river flows toward Omaha and Bellevue.

John Winkler, general manager of the Missouri River Papio Natural Resources District, said he expects peak Missouri River flows to reach Omaha on Friday or Saturday.

This is a few days later than predicted at the beginning of the week.

“If you have some levee failures or if you overtop the levee and start to spread that flood into the floodplain areas, that kind of takes the peaks off or delays the peak hour,” Winkler said.

The NRD closed sluice gates and culverts flowing into rivers and installed a flood barrier along the railroad tracks in Bellevue.

Winkler said low-lying areas in the floodplain, including several riverfront parks and campgrounds along the Missouri River, will experience flooding, but he’s confident the levee system will hold in Omaha.

As of Wednesday morning, the Missouri River is expected to crest between 34.8 and 35.4 feet. Flood stage is 27 feet in Omaha.

The 2 inches of rain that parts of Omaha and Bellevue received Tuesday night did not significantly change flood projections.

Winkler expects up to two meters of extra space on the pier, leaving anything behind protected.

However, Winkler said people should be on the lookout for any further changes in the forecast.

“You can have a big rain event and then all of a sudden the calculus changes,” he said. “And then you have new peaks and it can happen very quickly. So we just want people to just be prepared, have a route and get yourself safe if you have to.”

Winkler said flooding should begin to recede Sunday, but water levels in the Missouri River will remain high for some time.

At Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Commander Col. Mark Howard said the base is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct levee inspections and monitor rising water levels on the Missouri.

The flood event will be the first major test of the reinforced levees on the base built after the 2019 floods.

“Learning from the flood challenges of 2011 and 2019, we have implemented advanced flood management strategies to ensure the highest level of preparedness and protection for our base and its assets,” Howard said.