By Katie Knapp Schubert
Omaha, NE – Omaha's Parks Department is going to three day a week sandbagging, with two shifts available each of those days for volunteers.
Parks Director Melinda Pearson says 1,550 people have volunteered so far to fill sandbags at Levi Carter Park. That's resulted in more than 200,000 sandbags for public and private use.
The new schedule is Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. There are two shifts, from 12:30 to 4:30 and from 5 to 8 PM. Pearson says the Parks Department wants to have 100,000 to 200,000 sandbags stockpiled for when they're needed. You can learn more about the new volunteer sandbagging schedule and register at www.cityofomaha.org/parks.
Omaha Public Works crews continue are installing seven pumps at the Burt-Izard lift station to remove rain water from that facility. Rain water isn't draining properly from the lift station because the flood wall at the riverfront is closed. Part of Riverfront Drive remains closed while crews install those pumps.
Environmental Services Manager Marty Grate says the entire levee system is holding up well. National Guard soldiers are monitoring the levee 24 hours a day.
The Missouri River is at 34.5 feet in Omaha as of Tuesday morning. Flood Warnings continue on the Missouri River from Sioux City to Rulo.