Missouri River:
The first flood report from the Lincoln Star dated April 25, 1950, says that the Missouri River breached private dikes in four places west of South Sioux City. This caused the evacuation of 100 families as the flood water spread as far south as Highway 20. 80 members of the Nebraska National Guard from Lincoln and Norfolk were used to help with the evacuations and to patrol the flooded area. More dike failures were reported between South Sioux City and Omaha in the pursuant days. The citizens of Omaha felt safe behind their new floodwall, which was constructed as a result of the 1943 Missouri flood (the 1950 flood would have reached about the same elevation). The April 26, 1950, flood flows still count as the 2nd highest crest of record for Missouri River at Decatur. The next day, April 27th, saw the 2nd highest crest of record for the Missouri at Blair and 4th highest crest at Omaha. Moving downstream, April 28th saw the 15th highest crest at Nebraska City, the 16th highest crest at Rulo on the 29th, and the 17th highest crest at Rulo on May 10th.

Little Nemaha River:
Starting from the top of the watershed and working downstream, 6¾ inches of rain was recorded at Bennet on May 8th. By the next day, little Hooper Creek was flowing at an incredible 47,600 cfs at Palmyra, where the lumber yard and grain elevator were damaged and six families were evacuated from the south side of town. Probably the most riveting story of the entire May flooding came after a bus carrying six people was swept off of Highway 2 en route to Lincoln south of Unadilla. Day-to-day newspaper accounts detailed the story of the two survivors, in addition to telling the story of the driver and four passengers from the "Death Bus" who did not

Also in Unadilla, the lumber yard, elevator, and Burlington depot were damaged, while two homes were swept away and several others damaged to the point of destruction.

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Rail Tracks	Flood Debris

Downstream of Unadilla at Syracuse, the Little Nemaha River was estimated to be one mile wide when it swept one person to his death, took three homes off their foundations, and damaged dozens more. Stream gage records at Syracuse indicate that the flood elevation was 36.7 feet and discharge was an incredible 225,000 cubic feet per second! Also at Syracuse, little Owl Creek had a flood elevation of 30.6 feet and discharge of 16,000 cfs.

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Ball Room	Park	Homes

Talmage is the next stop for the Little Nemaha, and here all railroad bridges and the Highway 67 bridge north of town were lost, plus there was a heavy loss of livestock and several families evacuated. At 192,000 cfs at Talmage, the flood elevation was 1½ feet higher than the 100-year flood. The next town downstream, Brock, saw the entire community get inundated, with heavy damage to bridges, highways, farm property, and railroads. A Nemaha County Herald report documented the harrowing adventure of a family near Brock who were given little warning to evacuate ahead of the rampaging Little Nemaha. As they left in their pickup truck, floodwater overtook them and smashed it against a telephone pole. They could see the lights of Brock, but had to wait seven hours, clinging to the telephone pole and pickup in high-velocity water before an airplane found saw them and directed rescuers the next morning.

At Auburn, the River set a new record of 27.65 feet in elevation with 164,000 cfs - this record crest still stands to this day and is nearly a foot higher than the second highest crest of record set in June of this year. Just north of Auburn, the Little Nemaha was six feet over Highway 73/75 for over a half-mile. It was this highway where four more deaths were recorded when a car was swept from the roadway. According to a Nemaha County Herald article, the four people were out of their stalled car on the highway, trying to get their car moving again. A farmer was in the process of getting his tractor to help when three walls of water - at least one thought to be from a railroad impoundment which gave way three miles upstream - not only swept the car and the people away, but the last wave took his house off of its foundation and floated it down the river! He could only watch helplessly from the other side of the river as his house came to rest on a bridge support and large elm tree. Fortunately, with his wife and children tethered together with a clothesline, they were able to exit out of a window to the relative safety of the tree, from which they were rescued by boat. Subsequent boat searches found no evidence of the car, much less the four people. The boats then rescued people from second stories and rooftops. Instead of the typical 500-foot width of the River at Auburn, the newspaper says it was three miles wide. The National Guard used "duck" vehicles to evacuate some families on the east side of town, and the Auburn Municipal Airport was completely inundated. Right before the Little Nemaha empties into the Missouri River, the small Village of Nemaha had four feet of water in its train depot and there was one report of a nearby home under 20 feet of water!

North Fork Little Nemaha River:
On May 8, flooding devastated the tiny Village of Dunbar and claimed two lives when seven homes, the dance hall, and a filling station were washed away. The depot, many homes, and several Main Street businesses received heavy damage.

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Train Depot	Railroad Tracks	Damaged Homes	Rail Car

Weeping Water Creek:
On May 9th at Weeping Water, the discharge reached 30,300 cfs (77-year flood), destroyed or damaged many bridges, and washed out an extensive length of railroad track. The Weeping Water Republican reported that two homes were completely destroyed and that the East Street and Randolph Street bridges spanning the creek were washed away. Downstream at Nehawka, up to 8½ inches of rain - most of which fell in six hours - led to a flood elevation which equaled the 100-year flood event, put 2½ feet of water in the city auditorium, and caused an estimated $806,100 damage. Also on May 9th, the 2nd highest crest of record was recorded for Weeping Water Creek near Union, and here one person was swept away and drowned. The flood caused considerable property damage to many residences in the western sections of Union. Floodwaters also washed out a large portion of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad track around Union, and caused damage to the grain elevator and a gas storage facility. Water rose to a depth of two feet above the ground at the railroad station and covered Highway 73-75 to a depth of four feet. The peak discharge at Union was 60,300 cfs and had a gage height of 26.80 feet, approximately a 125-year flood event.

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Bridge	Flood Scene	Flood Scene

Big Blue River:
The first newspaper account is from Crete and how a swollen Walnut Creek caused the entire section of town north of the railroad tracks to be evacuated. At least with this round of flooding, Walnut Creek was able to drain quickly into the Big Blue, but basement flooding in Crete was extensive. Moving downstream, Wilber saw 6½ inches of rain fall on May 8th, and Highway 41 east of town was under eight feet of water for three-quarters of a mile. Like Crete, there were reports of basement flooding. West of Wilber, flood problems were reported on Turkey Creek. East of Wilber, a railroad bridge was reportedly washed out near Clatonia - most likely on Clatonia Creek. Further east, 8.4 inches of rain was recorded in five hours at Cortland, and not only were most basements flooded in town, but Highway 77 was also closed both north and south of town. Back downstream on the Big Blue, Turkey Creek joins the Big Blue at DeWitt, and this little community was completely inundated to the point that the railroad tracks were the only means to access the town. The National Guard was deployed from Crete to assist with the evacuation. Beatrice was witness to a 24.65-foot crest, which stands today as the 15th highest crest of record. In Beatrice, 17 basements were flooded, and eight miles of Union Pacific Railroad track was washed out in the area. Lastly, the May 8 crest set a record at Wymore at 10 feet, 9 inches over flood stage. Here, there was $150,000 in damage caused (mostly industrial) and caused the evacuation of 160 people.

Salt Creek:
Again working our way from the top of the watershed down, Sprague recorded 5½ inches of rain in a 2 ½-hour period on May 8th. Reportedly, the maximum rainfall measurement was 11 inches is the upland areas of the watershed south of Lincoln. West of Roca was the scene of the highest death toll for the 1950 flooding. Several cars were washed off of Highway 77 at "Crete Corner", presumably by the west-to-east flowing tributary to Salt Creek a mile south of Roca Road. Newspaper accounts are difficult to follow, but it appears as though a total of eight people lost their lives in this vicinity. Just downstream, the highest crest of record for Salt Creek at Roca occurred on May 8th. Lincoln Star articles indicate that almost the entire business district in Roca was under water. Southwest of Lincoln, Salt Creek was said to be 1½ miles wide, and in Lincoln, Salt Creek registered what is today the 4th highest crest of record. The high water all around was not enough to prevent President Truman from visiting and speaking in Lincoln on May 8th. The flooding of 1950 was the worst Salt Creek flood in Lincoln since 1908, and bridges were lost on North 10th Street, North 14th Street (now called North Antelope Valley Parkway), and 27th & Adams (now Cornhusker Highway, or Highway 6). There were 600 homes and 80 businesses flooded in Lincoln and at its peak, Park School (now Park Middle School, 7th & G Street) held 300 evacuees. This disaster relief center was closed on July 12th. There are conflicting reports whether there was floodwater on 7th Street in the Haymarket - one report says water did get into the Train Station but did not reach the street, while another report says it was several feet deep. Camp Creek is a tributary to Salt Creek about three miles east of Waverly - two people were rescued from their home on Camp Creek east of Prairie Home.

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Lincoln Driver	Flood Scene	Aerial View

North Fork and Big Nemaha River:
On May 9th, the 20th highest crest of record was recorded for the Big Nemaha River near Falls City. May 10th saw the level of the 1941 flood on the North Fork Big Nemaha River equaled at Tecumseh. No damage information - if any - was documented in newspaper reports.

To recount the May flooding, on May 15, 1950, the US Department of Agriculture released a statement that there was an estimated $9,853,000 in public damage caused by the flooding from the week prior. Of this total, the Little Nemaha accounted for half of the damage, with the Salt Creek watershed accounting for 22%, the Big Nemaha and Big Blue both for 11%, and Weeping Water Creek for 6%.

As if the heavy rain and flooding of May 8-10 wasn't enough, early June brought another wave of flooding - mostly to the area of Boone County and Madison County. On June 2, five inches of rain caused Union Creek to reach a peak discharge of 15,700 cfs, flooding a third of Madison and leading to the evacuation of 60 families. In Newman Grove, Shell Creek/Dry Creek was a half-mile wide, inundated part of town, and washed out a railroad bridge. Downstream from Newman Grove, Shell Creek set what was the second-highest crest of record north of Columbus (this is the 7th highest crest for this gage today). At St. Edward, Beaver Creek was up to four feet deep on the south side of town, where it washed out a Union Pacific Railroad bridge and damaged five homes. (There is another Beaver Creek you'll read about later - one of the ten creeks with that name in Nebraska.) Upstream at Albion, 4½ of rain was recorded on June 2nd, and six inches was reported six miles upstream at Loretto. At Albion, Beaver Creek inundated 20-30 blocks, but there were no evacuations. In one undisclosed location, Beaver Creek was said to be two miles wide. Beaver Creek peak discharges were 4,570 cfs at Loretto and 8,470 cfs at Genoa, and also set new record crests-for the time being.

Believe it or not, but the May and June severe storms and flooding were warm-ups to the 'main event'. Nebraska's {official 24-hour rainfall record} of 13.15 inches occurred at York on July 8-9, 1950 (one report has 13.55" and falling in 12 hours instead of 24). As one might imagine, the sheer volume of this much rain falling over a short period of time led to extensive flooding. At York, Beaver Creek (this is the second Beaver Creek) normally flows placidly on the south side of town. However, on July 9th the "greatest known flood" ever to hit the York area was estimated to be a 500-year flood event and caused Beaver Creek to flow five feet deep at Lincoln Avenue. Basement flooding and collapses were common on the west and south sides of town, and businesses like Hested's and Gambles - which kept a good amount of inventory in their basements - didn't fare much better. There were flooded service stations close to the creek, and some downtown stores had up to five to six feet of water in them. Martial law was instituted over the public safety concern of the broken gas lines which crossed Beaver Creek. An estimated 100-125 homes in York were hit hard by flooding, with 200 people being rescued and evacuated by National Guard "ducks". A total of around 300 refugees stayed in the new city auditorium. Floodwater caved in walls at the York water plant and disposal plant, and also flooded were businesses like the drive-in movie theater, York dairy, Dresden Wholesale (Coke bottler), Miller Seed Company, Osborne's Furniture, York Gravel Company, and Hudson Hatchery. The Highway 81 bridge was the only bridge crossing the Blue River still operational in York County. By July 11th, the York County Board of Commissioners estimated that it would cost $300,000 ($2.7 million in 2009 dollars) to repair the damaged roads and bridges.

McCool Junction reported 11 inches of rain that flooded the streets, and this all drained to the West Fork Big Blue River that flows past the east side of town. The West Fork Big Blue and Beaver Creek converge about two miles upstream of Beaver Crossing. With more than a foot of rain falling in a day over the two large watersheds immediately upstream, it should not be surprising that record flooding visited Beaver Crossing. The west and south sides of town were flooded, along with a half-block of the business district. Around 75 homes were flooded in town, and 150 people were evacuated south of Main Street. Every house on the south side of town had water in its basement, with many having six inches to two feet of water on the first floor. Early warning is credited with saving lives in Beaver Crossing - the National Guard, telephone company, and amateur radio operators were able to warn the population so that no lives were lost and the property loss was reduced. There are no more communities on the West Fork Big Blue before it empties into the Big Blue River near the Seward-Saline County line. However, on July 10th, the Dorchester gage on the West Fork Big Blue registered its highest crest of record. (Dorchester is not situated on the West Fork, but is slightly closer distance-wise to the gaging station than Beaver Crossing.) The crest of 24.8 feet stands to this day as more than two feet higher than the second-highest crest.

The first community on the Big Blue in line to receive the flood flows was the already-wet City of Crete. In this latest round of flooding in Crete, 75 of 100 homes north of the railroad tracks were flooded and "ducks" had to be used for search and rescue - 400 people were evacuated. A total of 120 homes were impacted by flooding in Crete. Walnut Creek was ten blocks wide, and worked its way through a makeshift levee that was hastily bulldozed into place in an effort to protect the main part of town. Floodwater managed to find a culvert under the Burlington Northern Railroad at Hawthorne Avenue, flooding the low-lying areas of the business district. Four blocks were flooded on the east side of the business district, including the need to sandbag the City Library and steps of City Hall. The bridge to Tuxedo Park was washed out, and for the second time in two months, basement flooding in parts of Crete was said to be extensive. At the Big Blue gage south of Crete, the 28.74-foot crest was the crest of record at the time, but today is the fourth highest on record.

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Flooding	City Library

The other Beaver Creek - the one mentioned with the June flooding in Boone County - was also going through another round of flooding. On July 9th, the previous record crest at Genoa set in June was surpassed with a discharge of 9,100 cfs. The next watershed west from Beaver Creek is Plum Creek (not to be confused with the Plum Creek which is a tributary of the Big Blue River at Seward), which flows into the Loup River about five miles east of Fullerton. Plum Creek was the site of another tragic event when a family of five was swept from Highway 14 between Fullerton and Albion, and killed. Plum Creek flooding also brought a damage price tag of $304,800 ($2.7 million in 2009 dollars).

Other July flooding highlights from around the state:

• 7/9: Rose Creek flooded Main Street of Hubbell after a seven-inch rain
• 7/10: On the Little Blue River, a seven-inch rain near the village of Oak (Nuckolls County) led to the evacuation of about 12 families downstream at Hebron. At Hebron, the Little Blue was "18 inches higher than any previous flood".
• 7/10: Several families were evacuated from Cedar River flooding near Fullerton.
• 7/12: Highway 89 in the Danbury-Lebanon area in Red Willow County was under six feet of water from Beaver Creek (yes, this is a third Beaver Creek!).

On July 19th, Shell Creek at Newman Grove caused $68,600 ($611,000 in 2009 dollars) in damage. The 12,000 cfs discharge was 400 cfs higher than the June 2 flood. Once again, Beaver Creek at Genoa saw flooding except this time, the 21,200 cfs on July 19th smashed the July 9th previous record discharge. This stands as the 3rd highest crest for Beaver Creek at Genoa today. On the Cedar River, July 19th saw the 4th highest crest of record at Fullerton and the record crest and record discharge upstream at Spalding. To finally round out almost three full months of flooding in Nebraska, Shell Creek north of Columbus established what today is the 10th highest crest of record on July 20th.

As southeastern Nebraska started drying out in late July, the impacts of the flooding could be tabulated. All told, across the state 25 people had lost their lives as a direct result of the flooding. This constituted the second-highest loss of life from floods in Nebraska history (next to 1935 Republican River flood).

8: "Crete Corner" on Salt Creek tributary near Roca
5: Plum Creek in Boone County
4: The "Death Bus" near Unadilla-Syracuse
4: Highway 73/75 north of Auburn
2: Dunbar
1: South side of Syracuse
1: Weeping Water Creek near Union

The flooding of 1950 was certainly historically significant - both in terms of lives lost and damage. But that was 60 years ago. How can the information in this article be useful today?

Lesson #1: Turn Around, Don't Drown!
At least 21 of the 25 deaths were people in vehicles. It is not known whether the deaths at Dunbar, Syracuse, or Union were vehicular in nature, so the number could be even higher. The National Weather Service keeps track of the number of flood-related deaths and sets aside the number of flood deaths in vehicles - those deaths are shown in red text here!

In an average year, more than half of all flood-related deaths are people in vehicles. Whether the pavement has been washed out under the water, the current is strong enough to float or sweep the car off the road, or whether the driver ignores road closed signs, it is never wise to drive through flood water over a road. As a result of the largely-preventable vehicular fatalities from flood events, the National Weather Service initiated a public safety and educational campaign called "Turn Around Don't Drown". Information about this program can be found here!

Lesson #2: If it happened once, it can happen again.
Although the official Nebraska record 24-hour rainfall is 13.15 inches from July 9, 1950, the NDNR Dam Safety Section's {Probable Maximum Precipitation Study} has evidence which shows that the York rain in 1950 would not rank higher than the fifth greatest 24-hour rainfall! One of these larger rains resulted in the 1963 flooding, which is chronicled on the Flood Mitigation page at the DNR website. What would happen in your community if a thunderstorm dropped over a foot of rain in a day or less? At Omaha, the 24-hour precipitation record 7.03 inches set on August 26-27, 1903, was smashed by intense thunderstorms of August 6-7, 1999, which dumped 10.48 inches. This resulted in federally-declared disaster FEMA-1286. For more information, check here! Lincoln's 24-hour rain record of 8.38 inches was set on August 28-29, 1910.

Lesson #3:
In the aftermath of the 1950 flooding in Nebraska, it would be another 18 years before the National Flood Insurance Program came into existence. In 1950, there were no floodplain maps and maybe even little or no building and zoning controls. As a result, the decision of where to build - close to a flood source or not - was often left to the discretion of individual homeowners. One of the long-term goals of the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 was a gradual reduction of floodprone housing stock through flood loss and other attrition. Some of that attrition took place in 1950 to be sure. However, rather than wait for a flood to wipe out buildings and possibly take lives along with it, communities today have the capability to regulate their floodplains through the National Flood Insurance Program and local floodplain management ordinances. An internal FEMA study has determined that the NFIP reduces annual flood losses by $1 billion. One of the reasons why there has not been a high-fatality flood year in Nebraska since 1950 is because of the wise land use decisions being made in Nebraska communities and counties every day.

The NDNR is always looking for historic or even recent flood pictures (digital format). If you have any flood pictures, please call someone in the Floodplain Section and ask how or to whom you can send your pictures.

References
Flood Insurance Studies - multiple communities
Newspapers: Lincoln Star, Lincoln Sunday Journal and Star, Omaha World-Herald, Syracuse Journal-Democrat, Nemaha County Herald, Weeping Water Republican
National Weather Service stream gage website.