Flood notes: Platte River crests at Louisville; Postal delivery suspended in Plattsmouth, Hamburg

Flood notes: Platte River crests at Louisville; Postal delivery suspended in Plattsmouth, Hamburg
Missouri River water overflows the levee at Hamburg Sunday. (World-Herald News Service)

Nebraska and Iowa continue to reel from rising floodwaters that have devastated towns and crops and taken lives around the state. Get the latest updates from The World-Herald below.

See the National Weather Service’s map of flood observations to view which areas are experiencing various levels of flooding. Here’s the latest road closures from around the state.

Platte River crests at Louisville

The Platte River crested at a record 13.75 feet at Louisville, the National Weather Service said. It’s now in minor flood stage there. At Leshara, it crested at a record 12.6 feet and also is in minor flood stage. The water is quickly receding at Louisville and slowly receding at Leshara, the weather service said.

Postal deliveries pick up

The U.S. Postal Service is resuming deliveries Monday in some of the areas hit by flooding, while service in other areas remains restricted or suspended.

Deliveries will resume in the Nebraska cities of Beemer, Elba, Ericson, Ewing, Gibbon, Hoskins, Niobrara, Norfolk, Pleasanton, Schuyler, Spencer, Wood River and Staplehurst, a Postal Service spokeswoman said. Service also will resume in Missouri Valley, Iowa.

Retail service — but no deliveries — will be available in Pacific Junction, Iowa. In Nebraska, Dannebrog, Duncan, Osmond, St. Edward and Verdigre will have retail service but no deliveries.

All operations are suspended in Nebraska for the cities of Fremont, Cedar Creek, North Bend, Plattsmouth, Winslow, Nickerson, Waterloo and Valley. Operations also have been suspended in Hamburg, Iowa.

Hamburg Red Cross Shelter relocated to Sidney

The City of Hamburg was forced to evacuate on Sunday after a water overflowed the levee, leaving standing water in its wake.

The American Red Cross Shelter that was set up at Hamburg Elementary moved to the United Faith Church in Sidney due to a water shortage.

Shelters, not run by the Red Cross, are also available in Shenandoah and Tabor.

HyVee has been helping the city battle its water shortage. They brought in a trailer full of water on Monday.

Water restrictions in Glenwood

Glenwood residents are begin urged by city officials to conserve water after the water treatment plant was shut down Monday. Avoid doing high-volume water activities, such as laundry, running the dishwasher, car wash, etc. If you have questions, please contact the Glenwood Municipal Utilities at (712) 527-4868.

Shenandoah pet retreat stepping up

Healthy Tails Retreat in Shenandoah is offering a place for animals to stay during the flood in southwest Iowa. If you’re intersted, please call (712) 246-2310.

Motorists who ignore barricades could face charges

Motorists who ignore barricades and drive onto blocked roads will face misdemeanor charges, the Omaha city prosecutor said Monday.

Rain in the forecast, but river levels should continue to fall

Rain and light snow are forecast for Tuesday in the Omaha area, but the National Weather Service says the precipitation should have a minimal effect on flooding.

As of Monday morning, the weather service forecast about 0.10 of an inch of rain for the Omaha area during daylight hours Tuesday. The system is expected to produce about half an inch of rain in southeast Nebraska near the Kansas border.

Elkhorn River receding near Waterloo

The Elkhorn River at Waterloo was receding Monday and should be below its flood stage of 14 feet by 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The river depth was measured at 18.36 feet at 6:15 a.m., over 6 feet below the crest of 24.63 feet just 24 hours earlier.

80-year-old woman in rural Columbus dies after floodwaters prevented rescuers from reaching her

An 80-year-old woman has died after rescue teams were unable to free her from her home in rural Columbus.

The Platte County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that officials had learned that 80-year-old Betty Hamernik was trapped in her house by floodwaters from the Loup River on Thursday. Rescuers from Lincoln’s Urban Search and Rescue Water Rescue Team were unable to get to Hamernik because of the fast current, high waves and wind gusts of 60 mph, according to the sheriff’s report.

A team from the Nebraska National Guard attempted to rescue Hamernik by air on Friday morning. After several attempts, crew members discovered that Hamernik had died, but they still were unable to get in the house.

On Saturday, a dive team from the Platte County Sheriff’s Office retrieved her body.

Columbus farmer James Wilke, 50, died Thursday after he was thrown into flood-swollen Shell Creek. Wilke learned that rising floodwaters had stranded a motorist along a nearby country road early Thursday, so he took his tractor to try to help. A bridge over Shell Creek collapsed under the tractor’s weight and Wilke went into the water. His body was found downstream about nine hours later, near his own farm.

Big game property damage to be discussed at meetings

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission invites landowners in southwest Nebraska to attend meetings regarding property damage caused by big game wildlife.

These meetings will help Game and Parks assist landowners experiencing crop damage from deer and other big game species. The meetings will help staff understand the issues and discuss tools that may assist with wildlife damage. Landowners who have experienced crop damage or stored feed issues with species such as deer are invited to attend.

All of the meetings will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. The schedule is:

April 2 – Wauneta, Wauneta Senior Center, 231 N. Tecumseh St.

April 3 – McCook, Red Willow County Fairgrounds 4-H building, 1412 W. 5th St.

April 4 – Oxford, Fire Hall, 310 Odell St.

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