The state of Nebraska is stepping up to help communities impacted by heavy rains and flash flooding. Governor Jim Pillen signed a disaster declaration yesterday for areas affected by Wednesday night's floods. Pillen has ordered state resources to be made available to communities in need.
The Omaha area is recovering after heavy rains on Wednesday night led to flash flooding. Mayor John Ewing says the city received five to six inches of rain during the storm. The Omaha Fire Department had responded to 50 water rescues as of yesterday as widespread flooding was reported.
Officials are crediting the reservoir system from preventing even worse flooding in the Omaha area. The Papio Missouri River Natural Resources District says Wednesday's night's flooding may have been even greater had it not been for the decades-old reservoir network. Officials say Wehrspann Lake rose about eight feet following the rainstorm, and flooding was reported in the surrounding area. Three more reservoirs in the region are under construction, and officials say there will be 20 reservoirs in the area by 2035.
The Lincoln area is impacted by widespread flooding. Heavy rains Wednesday night into yesterday morning brought flash flooding to the region. Lincoln Fire and Rescue says crews helped nearly 20 people out of businesses near 11th Street and Cornhusker Highway on Wednesday night. The rescue team also used a boat to rescue people near Ninth and Garber Streets and near Northwest 31st Street and Airport Road.
A 17-year-old accused of shooting another student outside Burke High School in Omaha is being charged as an adult. Rashaad Wilson is charged with second-degree assault, use of a firearm to commit a felony, possessing or receiving a stolen firearm, and tampering with evidence. Wilson allegedly shot and wounded another student during an altercation in the parking lot by the school's baseball fields on Wednesday morning.
A former Grand Island headstone company owner has been sentenced after being charged for theft by deception. This comes after more than 40 customers reported paying thousands of dollars for grave markers between January 2020 and February 2023 that were never delivered. Kelli Lepler took a plea deal in August that reduced the number of charges against her from 46 to three. She's been sentenced to 15-years of probation and will have to pay over 266-thousand dollars in restitution. If she makes all her payments, she will finish paying in 2041.