Horseshoe Lake woman returns home after Platte floods into dream cabin

It was a refuge away from the city.

Patty Sells moved in after she retired.

It was her paradise, at Horseshoe Lake right off the Platte River.

“I’d always just throw my fishing pole right there,” Sells said as she looked out at the swollen and angry Platte River.

Now, her cabin is covered in debris, mud and soggy with water.

Sells is left picking up the pieces.

She came back for the first time after being evacuated Thursday morning.

 She said the Platte rose three feet in only 15 minutes, then minutes later the evacuation team knocked on her door.

She packed her bags and didn’t turn back.

“Just fear. We couldn’t even get here for a few days to see if we even had a home.”

She was able to stay with her boyfriend in Lincoln, where she’ll be while the cabin is being repaired.

It could be months.

“The floors are covered in mud, we’ll need new floors the wood is warped, new carpeting, new drywall.”

But they’ve got their lives, and so does the rest of their tight–knit community.

“We’re so grateful everybody is safe,” Sells said.

Much of Horseshoe Lakes is still under water.

There are decks moved off of their foundations, homes still sitting in several feet under water and boats far from where they belong.

“We’ve cried so many tears we can’t anymore.”

But Sells said residents are finding hope in the heartache.

“Just gotta move forward.”