UPDATE: Officials discuss potential flooding in Lancaster County, Lincoln
UPDATE:
On Tuesday, Lincoln and Lancaster County officials held a press conference warning about the looming flood threat.
They said snow and ice are packed into sewers and ditches, preventing water from draining.
“We had about a month in December of rain,” Lancaster County Engineer Pam Dingman said. “The ground got really good and saturated. It froze, then we have 50 inches of snow on top of that. And now we have rain and frost that’s coming out of the ground. So, it’s really the worst case scenario for engineers and public utility departments.”
They said they’re already seeing roads inundated with mud and rising waters. And with additional rain on the way, they said there’s the potential for even more of it.
The county and city said their crews are working to clear out storm drains and ditches to get water flowing and off the road.
The city said they’ll be keeping an eye out for rising water overnight.
“We’re looking at some folks in our traffic management center overnight — and with our maintenance operations division — really to keep monitoring some of those hotspots, those typical low–lying areas where we do see some street and roadway over topping,” Assistant Director of Transportation Lonnie Burklund said.
They urged people to not try and drive through any water you see running across the roads.
“It takes as little as 12 inches of water to sweep your car away,” Lincoln Police Capt. Todd Kocian said. “This can also cause your car to stall and leave you stranded in the water.”
The flood threat extends beyond Lancaster County. Tuesday evening, Gov. Ricketts declared a state emergency for what the National Weather Service is calling possible historic river flooding this week.
Also, Black Hills energy said floodwaters can create a dangerous situation with natural gas. They said if floodwaters are forcing you to evacuate, then call their 24–hour emergency line at (800) 694-8989.
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Lancaster County and Lincoln officials said snow and ice are packed into sewers and ditches, preventing water from draining.
“We had about a month in December of rain,” Lancaster County Engineer Pam Dingman said. “The ground got really good and saturated. It froze, then we have 50 inches of snow on top of that. And now we have rain and frost that’s coming out of the ground. So, it’s really the worst case scenario for engineers and public utility departments.”
With more rain on the way, officials said there’s the potential for flooding.
They said their crews are currently working to clear out storm drains and ditches to get water flowing and off the road.
The city said they’ll be keeping an eye out for rising water overnight.
“We’re looking at some folks in our traffic management center overnight — and with our maintenance operations division — really to keep monitoring some of those hotspots, those typical low–lying areas where we do see some street and roadway over topping,” Assistant Director of Transportation Lonnie Burklund said.
They urge you not to try and drive through any water you see running across the roads because it only takes one or two feet of it to sweep away a vehicle or stall it.
Also, Black Hills energy said floodwaters can create a dangerous situation with natural gas. They said if floodwaters are forcing you to evacuate, then call their 24–hour emergency line at (800) 694-8989.
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City, county, and utility officials are set to discuss potential flooding concerns at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
The meeting will be held at 3:15 p.m. in the Luxford Studio (Room 113) of the County-City Building located at 555 S. 10th Street.
The meeting is to discuss potential flooding, preparedness steps if flooding occurs and road conditions in Lancaster County.
A complete list of road closings can be found on the County Engineer’s website at www.lancaster.ne.gov/engineer.
Channel 8 Eyewitness News will have a reporter at the press conference, and we will continue to provide updates in our evening newscasts.
