Recovering from a disaster on the scale of the 2019 floods takes time, even decades.
Five years after the March 2019 flood, The World-Herald revisited some of the places affected to see how far they've come.
Omaha-area levees in better shape after millions in fixes
Most of the Omaha metro area did well during the floods and would do so again in a repeat of 2019, said John Winkler, general manager of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. Reservoirs, levees and other structures performed as they should have.
The real problem occurred where the Missouri met the Platte, which at one point contained more water than the Mighty Mo. That impacted Offutt Air Force Base, the Omaha wastewater treatment plant south of the base, and part of Bellevue and nearby lake communities.
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"It was basically two interstates coming together," Winkler said. "There was nowhere for that water to go. They collided and just went up."
The levees protecting the area now are in better shape. In addition to being higher, two closure structures were added, ending the need for sandbagging. New federal requirements for water seepage under levees were incorporated, and additional repairs were made on drainage pipes that allow water to drain from behind the levee for a total cost of $34.2 million.
The City of Omaha repaired the Papillion Creek wastewater plant, which cost $40.5 million. Still under way are repairs to its Missouri River wastewater plant south of the L Street bridge over the Missouri. To head off potential problems in the future, the city also will relocate the Copper Creek sewer pipe, which currently is situated in the floodplain and within the levee along the Little Papillion Creek in Sarpy County, said Jim Theiler, the city's assistant public works director. Construction is expected to wrap up this year at a cost of $22 million.
Since 2019, Omaha has invested $350 million in a revamped riverfront. Winkler said the area would have the same protection the rest of the downtown area had in a repeat of the 2019 event. To impact the riverfront parks and the Kiewit Luminarium, more flows would have to come in from farther north and further swell the Missouri.
The Missouri peaked at 34.4 feet downtown on March 17, 2019, according to National Weather Service data. That's nearly 2 feet lower than the crest during the 2011 flood but enough to land 2019 the No. 3 spot on the city's all-time flood crest chart.
To head off future floods elsewhere within the metro area, the NRD will bring three new reservoirs online in the next several years: WP-4 on Wehrspann Creek near 204th Street and Schram Road in Gretna; WP-2 at Giles Road between 168th and 180th Streets and WP-1 at 180th Street between Maple and Fort Streets. The first two already are under construction.
In the west end of the district, Waterloo fared fairly well, Winkler said, thanks to the levee around the community. The NRD and the Army Corps of Engineers repaired Valley's levee, "so hopefully that wouldn't breach again."
'Kids get really scared'; Fremont's flood trauma lingers
Repairs to area levees and the creation of a new flood emergency action plan are among steps that have put the Fremont area, situated between the Platte and Elkhorn Rivers, in a better place, said Tom Smith, Dodge County Emergency Management director.
Agencies have worked with a local levee district to restore a dike between North Bend and Fremont that breached and impacted the north side of Fremont, he said. Repairs also have been made to a breached levee at the Fremont Rod and Gun Club.
Agencies also have applied for $55 million in drainage projects for Fremont. Another project will begin this year to repair the east bank of the North Bend cutoff ditch, Smith said. That should provide better protection for North Bend, where 70% or more of streets flooded. The agency also is working with federal officials on a project in the Rawhide Creek watershed that would prevent water from coming into the north side of Fremont.
But the Greater Dodge County Long Term Recovery Group, which includes more than a dozen agencies, faith groups and other groups, still is working with local residents who need assistance, he said.
Christy Fiala, executive director of the Fremont Area United Way, said some people face challenges as a result of the back-to-back disasters of flooding and COVID-19.
Some exhausted savings on rebuilding, which left them without a cushion from a job loss or medical emergency, she said. Others have faced recurring problems with mold or challenges completing projects, either due to the cost or a shortage of contractors. Water shortened the lives of heating and cooling systems, requiring early replacement.
"Efforts to rebuild and repair both on an individual level and as a community are challenging for many," Fiala said.
The local United Way and the long-term recovery group will mark the progress made since the floods at a March 15 event in Fremont. The event, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Milady Coffeehouse East Wing Venue, 105 E. 6th St., will include a video. It will focus on families who are recovering rather than recapping the flood itself.
Some area residents, she said, have said they don't want to attend because they don't want to remember.
"Kids get really scared when there's concern that another flood could occur in the community," Fiala said. "The trauma of it is definitely still in the community."
The United Way also is continuing to collect donations, not specifically for flood recovery but to help the agency respond to families in need, she said. In the past five years, more have sought help paying rent and utility bills and stabilizing their finances.
Winslow left with 11 occupied houses, down from 40
Five years after the flood, this Dodge County village, situated near the Elkhorn River about 12 miles north of Fremont, is approaching a decision point regarding a proposal that would move it to higher ground.
That decision will come during the primary election May 14, when voters decide whether to recall three village board members who back a move to a proposed site 3.5 miles south of the current site, said Zachary Klein, who is among the three village trustees who favor a move.
Supporters have been able to secure a commitment from an investor to cover the land acquisition, he said. But not all residents want to relocate.
"It's up to the village whether this process is going to move forward," said Klein, a Fremont firefighter.
Klein, who grew up in the village, said he understands the decisions of residents who choose to stay. "They know what the risks are and if they're willing to assume those risks ... I support it 100%," he said.
But he doesn't believe the village can sustain itself financially if it doesn't relocate. It would likely fall into bankruptcy and disband.
Before the 2019 flood, which wasn't Winslow's first, the village had a population of just over 100, with just under 40 occupied homes. Eleven still are occupied. Six have been purchased with FEMA funds and demolished.
The Nebraska Legislature changed an annexation law to allow the move. Klein and others continue to work with state and federal agencies on funding for infrastructure, such as water, streets and sewer at the proposed site. Residents who choose to move there would get the first choice of new lots.
Klein said he believes there is support enough to put together a new community. Part of the challenge is maintaining interest in the process. He and others want to see it work to make it easier for other flood-prone communities that might follow.
"I would have liked for some closure before the five-year mark, before the two-year mark," he said. "You have to be willing to work the process to see what is able to be done."
Plattsmouth utilities seek permanent fix
While much of the community south of the junction of the Platte and Missouri Rivers sat safely above floodwaters in 2019, Plattsmouth's wastewater and water treatment plants did not.
The city brought both back online in 2020, making repairs and floodproofing by ringing them with barriers that can be closed if the water rises, said Emily Bausch, city administrator. But the city has at times imposed water restrictions and tapped the Cass County Rural Water District.
The long-term solution is to move both facilities out of the floodplain, she said. The city currently is building a new wastewater treatment plant. The $76 million project includes a pumping station at the end of Main Street.
Plattsmouth also has an agreement to buy finished drinking water from the Metropolitan Utilities District. But first, the city will have to bore under the Platte River and install a transmission line connecting it with MUD's Platte South Water Treatment Plant near LaPlatte, a project estimated at $23 million.
Pacific Junction mayor: 'Keep positive'
This Mills County, Iowa, town now is home to just under 100 residents, about three-quarters its former number.
But Pacific Junction Mayor Andy Young still is working to rebuild. He returned to his home, which took on 9 feet of water, in February 2020, after getting his daughter's house back in shape.
Recently, he's been working to create another temporary space for a city office in an old ambulance building. It has been situated in a corner of a building owned by the city clerk, who hopes to open a bar and restaurant there by the end of May. Another bar opened several months ago, and a model train club is remodeling a building and hopes to open this summer.
Later this month, the village plans to start selling some of the 36 lots it bought back from FEMA, with the aim of increasing the population — and the tax base.
"There's always times when it's a struggle," said Young, 69. "You can't let it bother you. You just have to move on and keep positive, because if you're not positive, everybody around you gets down."
Long list of tasks in Hamburg
This southwest Iowa town has seen its share of floods. In March 2019, Harry Adams realized he was filling sandbags about 10 feet from where he performed the same task as a youngster in 1952.
Now Hamburg's mayor, Adams, who moved back after a long tech career in the Chicago area about two years before the flood, is among those helping to shore up the town.
About half the town flooded after multiple levee breaches. Nearly 70 houses were lost and are being bought out by FEMA.
The corps repaired the levee between the town and the Missouri River above what is called for in federal standards, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds noted during a December meeting in Omaha with the corps, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.
But Adams said the water rose higher than projected in March 2019. "It's really hard to imagine the expanse of land that was flooded," he said. "It's hard to believe that happened."
The community, however, has bounced back. Not only have hard-hit mainstay businesses, including AgriVision Equipment and Hendrickson Enterprises, cleaned up and forged on, the town has added 11 new ones, including a bank, a Dollar General store and a new motel.
"People can come to town and be proud," he said.
A 24-unit apartment building has been renovated and construction has begun on a new housing development on the northeast edge of town that will offer 33 affordable homes.
But as in many impacted communities, there are still streets to repair, ballfields to fix and parks to restore. Another item on the town's punch list is finding a way to improve an area along Interstate 29 to block flood threats from the Nishnabotna River. Currently, part of the interstate serves as a levee.
"We have some fun with things, but our list of to-dos is long," Adams said.