Large swaths of Nebraska are recovering from disastrous flooding — and donations are being sought to aid in the recovery effort.

In response to requests, the United Way of Ellis County is providing information for the Nebraska and Iowa Flood Relieve Fund. The United Way of the Midlands (Omaha, Nebraska) has created the Nebraska and Iowa Flood Relief Fund. Contributions to this fund can be made by visiting https://www.unitedwaymidlands.org/floodrelief  or texting FLOODRELIEF (all caps and one word) to 41444.  100% of every donation will be directed to nonprofit programs meeting people’s needs for emergency shelter, food and more in Nebraska. Donors can also direct their gift to another community affected by flooding in Nebraska or Iowa by providing the city name. United Way of the Midlands will then distribute those funds to the local United Way chapter serving that area. United Way of the Midlands is also assisting those affected by flooding through its 2-1-1 Helpline which serves Nebraska and southwest Iowa.

At that link you will find a way to text donations or send donations to Nebraska Flood Relief.

From the Fremont area this morning on the Platte. Each of those little islands has dozens of cattle on it, stranded with no place to go.

Our thoughts are with our agriculture industry as they will certainly feel the effects of this flooding. pic.twitter.com/PK8gpu2NMb

— NEStatePatrol (@NEStatePatrol) March 15, 2019

Please don’t come to closed areas to sight see. You put yourselves at risk and the first responders as well. Barricades are placed and roads are closed for safety.

This is Highway 2 on the Missouri River near Nebraska City. pic.twitter.com/hehqDjyCQf

— NEStatePatrol (@NEStatePatrol) March 17, 2019

KANSAS CITY— A Kansas felon who rammed a police vehicle and crashed into two more cars while leading officers on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle was charged in federal court Wednesday with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Chance Ayers, 24, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, according to the United State’s Attorney.

In an affidavit filed in support of Wednesday federal criminal complaint, on March 3, 2019, a Kansas City police detective saw Ayers driving a maroon 2002 Mercury Sable, which had been reported stolen when the keys were taken during a burglary earlier that day. The detective followed Ayers to a gas station, where he pulled up next to the front of the building. A police captain, dressed in full police uniform and driving an unmarked police vehicle equipped with emergency lights and siren, arrived to conduct a car check. The captain activated his lights, got out of his vehicle, and made verbal contact with Ayers.

When Ayers saw the captain, the affidavit says, he immediately put his car in reverse and backed up until he struck the front of the captain’s police vehicle. Ayers continued to accelerate in reverse and the Mercury began pushing the parked police vehicle backward. The captain was dragged backwards through the parking lot as he struggled with Ayers through the driver’s window of the Mercury in an effort to get Ayers to stop. The captain was able to disengage from Ayers and the Mercury before it entered 11th Street. Ayers continued to push the police vehicle until it struck a wooden utility pole, which sheared off. Ayers then placed the Mercury in drive and fled westbound on 12th Street.

A civilian police department employee, who was seated in the front passenger seat of the police vehicle, was treated at a hospital for neck and back pain. The police vehicle was towed from the scene.

A Kansas City police officer soon located Ayers, who was traveling at a high rate of speed, near 12th Street and Chestnut. The officer activated his emergency lights and siren and attempted to stop the vehicle, the affidavit says, but Ayers refused to stop. Ayers allegedly ran multiple red traffic signals as he traveled at a high rate of speed. Ayers made a wide turn onto 71 Highway, almost driving off the road. Ayers continued to drive at a high rate of speed in rainy conditions on 71 Highway, the affidavit says, weaving in and out of all three lanes. When Ayers exited 71 Hwy at 39th Street, he caused an accident with another vehicle, but did not stop. The officer pursuing Ayers was unable to continue the pursuit and lost sight of Ayers after he exited at 39th Street.

Ayers eventually wrecked into a parked car on Wayne Avenue. A police sergeant saw Ayers run from the vehicle towards Highland Avenue. The sergeant located an open garage door of an abandoned residence at 4316 Highland Avenue and heard noises inside. A perimeter was set up and Ayers was eventually taken into custody inside the residence. Ayers had two 12-gauge shotgun shells in his right front pants pocket at the time of his arrest.

The Mercury had major damage, and was towed from the scene. Inside the vehicle, officers found a loaded New England 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun on the driver’s side floorboard. Two more shotgun shells were found on the floor next to the shotgun.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Ayers has prior felony convictions for burglary, theft and criminal damage, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He was on state parole at the time of the alleged offense.

By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post

Extreme northwest Missouri continues to battle floodwaters, even as flooding on the Missouri River moves downstream.

Atchison County Emergency Management Deputy Director Mark Manchester says three levees in the county have failed and the community of Watson has been surrounded by water and cut off from the rest of the county.

Manchester is grateful for one thing: no deaths so far.

“The levees can be fixed, homes can be repaired, roads can be fixed; people’s lives can’t be replaced,” Manchester says. “And, like I said, thankfully we haven’t had any injuries or anything like that.”

Flooding began in earnest with the failure of the Spencer Dam in northern Nebraska, which sent the Niobrara River cascading south. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers increased water releases from Gavins Point Dam, upstream on the Missouri River, to relieve pressure on Nebraska. But, all that water washed over private levees downstream, sending water over Interstate 29 in southwestern Iowa, forcing the closure of I-29 at Rock Port.

It didn’t stop there.

A levee failed west of Watson, which now finds itself an island. Another levee failed two miles north of Highway 136 and a third was overtopped and collapsed between Rock Creek and Mill Creek.

Manchester says, as bad as the current situation is, he is concerned about the near future.

“A lot of levee damage out there,” Manchester says. “If this turns out to be a wet spring, summer, we get a lot of rains, and the levees haven’t had a chance to get repaired yet, then we could be looking at flooding again later in the year. We don’t know.”

As the flooding in extreme northwest Missouri grew worse, the Missouri Department of Transportation moved to closure of I-29 south, diverting northbound traffic to U.S. 71 just north of St. Joseph.

Manchester says that with the failure of private levees in Iowa and Missouri it makes it difficult to estimate when things might return to normal.

“This is such a different ballgame with the number of breaks that have occurred to our north and the number of areas that are impacted,” according to Manchester. “So, we really don’t know at this time how soon this is going to be over.”

The National Weather Service forecasts the Missouri River to crest Friday morning at just over 29 feet, which would be just below the level reached in 2011. The record crest of slightly higher than 32 feet was reached in 1993. The water level on the river is expect to drop quickly to below major flood stage by the end of the weekend.

HASKELL COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 7p.m. Wednesday in Haskell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Richard Hidalgo, 71, Plains, was westbound on U.S. 56 behind a 2015 Chevy Silverado driven by John Giesbrecht-Fehr, 34, Ulysses. The motorcycle ran into the side of the pickup’s trailer as the Chevy slowed down and turned North on to County road OO.

Hidalgo was transported to Santanta District Hospital where he died. Giesbrecht-Fehr was not injured. Hidalgo was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — State officials say the flooding that swept Nebraska has caused nearly $1.4 billion in estimated losses and damage.

Gov. Pete Ricketts said Wednesday that roads, levies and other infrastructure have sustained an estimated $449 million in damage. Damage to private homes and businesses has reached $85 million so far, and farmers have experienced $400 million in cattle losses and $440 million in crop losses.

HWY 34 bridge in Plattsmouth. The impacts to transportation in Eastern Nebraska will require a great deal of patience. Thankfully Nebraskans are known for this quality! pic.twitter.com/VoSb9bsbIJ

— Col. John A. Bolduc (@NSPColonel) March 17, 2019

Ricketts says an estimated 2,067 homes and 341 businesses have been damaged or destroyed in the flood.

Ricketts stressed that the numbers are preliminary and subject to change. The numbers were included in the governor’s request for expedited assistance from the federal government.

We understand how important your pets are.

So when troopers come to the rescue, the pets gets rescued too.

(Not pictured: a massive dog who got to ride in the NSP helicopter!)

Great work, troops! pic.twitter.com/ZOJwxV3o3X

— NEStatePatrol (@NEStatePatrol) March 17, 2019

The governor says 74 of Nebraska’s 93 counties and 85 of its cities are in a declared state of emergency.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A 3-year-old boy is dead after breaking away from his father’s hand in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, running into traffic and being struck by a gas company truck.

The accident happened around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. The boy was in critical condition when officers arrived, but died at a hospital. His name has not been released.

A preliminary investigation showed that the child and his father came out of a store on 11th Street when the child “broke away from his father’s hand” and ran between two parked vehicles into the street.

He was struck by a truck belonging to Spire, a company based in St. Louis.

Police say the truck driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with police.

An investigation continues.