Assistance is Available to Help those Impacted by Nebraska Natural Disaster

"As floodwaters recede and the snow disappears from the landscape, Nebraskans are seeing the full scope of damage the weather disaster has wrought upon the state. Local, state and federal agencies are working to quickly respond to the needs of those who have suffered personal and economic losses.

On Wednesday, the latest preliminary estimates of damage to homes and businesses, as well as state infrastructure, totaled more than $1.3 billion, according to state officials.

Three-fourths of the state’s 93 counties have declared an emergency, as record crests have been reported on the Missouri, Platte, Elkhorn and Loup rivers in eastern Nebraska.

Damage to roads, bridges and other state infrastructure systems is estimated at $439 million.

About 2,000 miles of state roads — roughly 20 percent of the entire state road system — have been closed at one point or another over the last week, according to Kyle Schneweis, director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

The natural disaster is only part of the continuing woes facing Nebraska’s agricultural industry and rural communities. Low prices, trade difficulties, tariffs, high property taxes and rising expenses were troubling farmers and ranchers and rural communities prior to the latest storms and flooding. Now producers are facing planting difficulties because of the wet and flood-damaged soil, along with the losses livestock producers experienced because of the blizzard earlier this month..."

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