CALF_News_June_July_2019

8 CALF News • June | July 2019 • www.calfnews.net IT CAME FAST Continued from page 6 You cannot keep a farmer confined. Sunday morning found Rhea, frustrated and determined, attempting to make it to the family feedlot near Arlington. Amazingly, he found a way out. The normal 15-minute commute stretched to three hours as the cattle feeder tracked through countlessWashington, Cuming and Burt County roads, picking his way through infrastructure previously high and safe. One wonders if this commit- ment is attributed to a sterling character or just plain stubbornness. Either way, it was a successful and gutsy move in dangerous conditions. The feedlot presented a picture that all of Nebraska faced – a sea of mud. Rhea was most disturbed, how- ever, to find out that railroad tracks carrying badly needed feedstuffs had been washed out in several loca- tions, so the cattleman set about pulling some strings to get feed laid in for his livestock. It was nearly impossible to procure ethanol co-products, he says. Not only was all transportation shut down, but the etha- nol plants themselves shuttered, a loss in processing of over 600,000 bushels of corn per day in one plant alone. Product manufacturing for feed used by Rhea Feedlot was disrupted for two full weeks. It is a problem that will continue to haunt cattle producers for an extended time as infrastructure is rebuilt. In addition, the Rheas’ hay mill at Lyons lost 400 tons of hay, the plant flooded, and significant time and effort will be needed to clean up the damage. Bill is thankful that it wasn’t any worse on his family than it turned out. The feedlot is drying and cattle will survive. Hog farmers and horse operations were hit worse, as well as cow- calf producers calving on river bottom areas, popular for their protective cover. Some adjoining towns endured a 100 percent mandatory evacuation. North Bend, for example, was ordered evacuated, then no one could get out because water had sud- denly surrounded the town. Community heroes According to Kathy Rhea, her hometown went into survival mode. Starting on the north side of Fremont, dike breaches were sandbagged, predominantly by volunteers. She says she’ll never complain about teenagers again, or worry about our future. Teenagers helped save a good share of the town when they showed up in droves to fill sandbags and wield shovels. Citizens of all kinds, along with a remarkable city management team, worked tirelessly. Another group pitching in enormous effort was those already homeless who had been forced into shelters or had taken up residence with friends or relatives. Instead of being victims, they became leaders in an effort to serve their commu- nity. Kathy says they are the main story in the flood event. An estimated 10 percent of all schoolchildren in Fremont were rendered homeless in late March; 435 children were affected. At one time, more than 600 people resided at shelters set up by four churches and the United Way. Kathy says these facilities came together incredibly fast, thanks to the volunteer force within Fremont. More than 1,000 meals per day were served in-house at the flood shelters. An additional 2,000 meals were delivered to flooded areas daily during the crisis. In addition, clothing, cleaning supplies and other necessities were provided by generous donation to those in need. Children often left school in the evening with backpacks full of needed household supplies. Within the city of Fremont, housing inspectors have deter- mined that, with 1,000 homes impacted by the flood, 500 are uninhabitable and must be evaluated by government agen- cies to determine whether they can be salvaged. 350 may be entered but need work before habitation, and 150 are habitable but need major repairs. Damage estimates for the state of Nebraska alone exceed $1.5 billion. More than 3,000 miles of road are damaged or destroyed statewide. What is the good news? To date, only four people have lost their lives due to the bomb cyclone in Nebraska and Iowa combined. It is tragic to those families affected, but ultimately a miracle that there were so few fatalities. “People are amazing,” Kathy says.  RIGHT: Bill and Kathy Rhea have endured the bomb cyclone flood, dealt with the repercussions and survived a 500-year event. Their family farm and feedlot is located at Arlington, Neb. Giant ice floes melt in the sun after wiping out a major bridge in the Fremont/ Arlington area. Ice chunks the size of pickups were reported in various Nebraska areas, tumbling through low-lying areas at 60 miles per hour.