Heavy rain and lowland flooding forced evacuations in Syracuse and Dunbar overnight.
At 10:32 p.m. on Sunday, Otoe County Emergency Management reported that water was crossing Swanson Drive at Syracuse.
High water was reported moments later at North 11th Street near Williams Park and the sidewalk at Cheryl Drive. The pedestrian bridge in the park was impassable.
The creek running through Williams Park had risen 10 feet in a half hour.
Nine minutes later, county officials and the Syracuse Fire Department, were knocking on doors to warn people about the rising water.
“Water is over the Mohawk Street bridge. I don’t know what you have as far as an evacuation, but we are going to have to expand it,” an Otoe County storm spotter reported to base.
Water was up to the second step outside of Kenny Smith’s trailer by the time Crystal Albers called to alert him. He grabbed the dog and headed for the fire station.
The 11th Street crossing near Smith’s residence was described as a “wall of water.”
The water was high enough to pour into Lois Jensen’s car. “This is my first flood. I was shocked with all of the water coming up into our yard and it just kept rising to our trailer,” she said.
The American Red Cross met the evacuees at the fire station, while additional food reports came in.
About two feet of water was over Road 24 near old Highway 2.
At 10:49 p.m., seven minutes after the report of flooding in Syracuse, emergency management declared that travel south of Douglas is not advised. Road 8 and P and Q roads were experiencing flash flooding.
The weather service reported that the heaviest rain would last 40 minutes, but there would be another hour of light rain.
Three rescue and seven firefighters from Nebraska City Fire and EMS joined Dunbar fire, the American Red Cross and Otoe County Emergency Management in an evacuation in Dunbar.
The evacuation was ordered after the North Branch of the Little Nemaha River flooded around 2:30 a.m.
It involved 11 people and houses near the Dunbar Presbyterian Church on Wheeler Street.
Willow Creek near Union is expected to crest above flood stage Monday afternoon.
