At a makeshift school inside Twin River Elementary School in Silver Creek, juniors Carter Frenzen and Marissa Morris connect to their history class in Genoa and teacher Gabe Stalder via video conferencing April 5.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Major flooding that hit Nebraska and Iowa in March caused this bridge collapse on Highway 39, knocking out the quickest route for Silver Creek students to reach their schools in Genoa, Nebraska.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Inside the gymnasium at Twin River Elementary School in Silver Creek, sophomores, Tony Jarecki, left, Weston Graham, center, and Ross Hebda connect via video conference to their World History class and teacher Ryan Sidwell in Genoa, Nebraska.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
In the cafeteria of Twin River Elementary School in Silver Creek, seventh-grader Brayden Rinkol joins in a live music lesson delivered via Chromebook by teacher Tammy Wittwer in Genoa, Nebraska.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Inside the gymnasium at Twin Creek Elementary School in Silver Creek, seventh graders Skye Sock, right, Brayden Rinkol, left, and Mason Rinkol connect via video conference to their home economics class at their usual school in Genoa, Nebraska.
When an angry river tore their school district in two, residents fought back with a radical plan.
The story of the Twin River Public Schools is not one of destroyed homes and lost lives, of which there have been too many across the state after the record March flooding.
It is a tale about a road network wiped out by a river gone wild, and how district leaders hatched a recovery plan that required creativity, a can-do attitude, some persistent technicians and a whole bunch of Chromebook laptop computers.
Situated in farm country west of Columbus, the communities of Genoa, Silver Creek and Monroe are united by one thing: their schools.
Most of the district’s 444 kids attend school in the biggest town, Genoa, but they all wear blue. Everyone is a Titan.
Each town used to have its own school district. But in 2001, in response to declining enrollment, they consolidated to form the Twin River Public Schools.
The name nods to the Loup and Platte Rivers that snake across the Plains here.
Usually docile, the Loup River runs through a sandy channel between Genoa on the north and Silver Creek on the south.
At 1:58 a.m., a 911 caller alerted the Sheriff’s Office that a bridge on Highway 39 was out. The deck of the 120-foot-long bridge collapsed at both ends into the muddy channel.
Losing the Highway 39 bridge, by itself, would have been a major inconvenience.
Residents soon learned that a bridge on an alternate route, Monroe Road, was washed out, too.
Both roadways were severely damaged.
With the two main river crossings gone indefinitely, driving between the towns suddenly became an ordeal. The 10-minute drive between Silver Creek and Genoa now took 75 minutes. Residents had to circle around flooded areas and backtrack, picking through a maze of detours and muddy back roads.
The river had effectively isolated 100 kids in Silver Creek from their elementary and high school in Genoa.
Not only that, teachers who live in Silver Creek and teach in Genoa couldn’t easily get to their jobs — and vice versa.
“Every place that we could cross the river, for many miles both ways, was not an option,” said Denise Hebda, a junior high special education teacher who lives south of the river. “You knew — we weren’t sure what — but you knew something was going to be different.”
In the chaotic days after the flood, district officials brainstormed a plan:
Set up a makeshift high school for the stranded kids at an underused elementary building in Silver Creek.
Quickly train teachers to deliver junior high and high school lessons remotely from Genoa via online video conference.
Create and staff traditional classrooms at the Silver Creek elementary site to handle the additional K-6 students stuck there.
Teachers and staff would have to take on new roles to make it work.
Fortunately, the district had just rolled out a new technology plan this school year that provided every 7-12 student a Chromebook.
But there was a big problem.
The fiber optic cable that served Silver Creek had been attached to the Highway 39 bridge. It was severed. No voice or data transmissions were possible.
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“Once that fiber was severed, the whole town was out,” said Travis Kohlrus, vice president of Eagle Communications’ broadband division.
Company technicians arriving to fix it found water still rushing under the bridge. The strong current foiled initial attempts to pull a new cable, tied to a rope, across by boat.
They considered shooting a string across with a bow and arrow or flying it across with a drone.
It took about a day, but they got it done, dragging the cable across on a thin string with less drag in the river, he said.
On March 18, the Monday after the major flooding, Superintendent John Weidner met with staff and unveiled the plan.
He told teachers that they would get a “crash course” in how to video conference and manage their classrooms online.
“They knew what they had to get done, and they really went after it,” he said.
Luckily, the elementary school building in Silver Creek had room to accommodate the kids.
The makeshift school was set up in a gymnasium and opened March 20 — students had lost 4½ days of school to the flooding. Tables set up in the gym serve as classrooms. Kids move from table to table, logging into Zoom video-conferencing software on the Chromebooks to virtually join their classmates at their school in Genoa.
Teachers email quizzes and tests. They use Facebook and text messaging to communicate. If necessary, teachers make the run down to Silver Creek to instruct in person.
Teachers use a courier to carry documents, papers and even art projects between communities.
Hebda, cut off from her special-education job in Genoa, helps to manage the makeshift school.
A cook who normally works in Genoa was trapped in Silver Creek as well. But that worked out, giving the south site a second cook to help feed the extra mouths. The school’s enrollment, normally 30 kids in grades three through six, has swelled to about 130.
“The sixth-grade teacher that lives here was teaching sixth grade up there,” Hebda said. “The teacher that was here doing fifth and sixth grades actually lives north, so they kind of just swapped, in a sense, jobs.”
The media specialist at Silver Creek, who happens to play piano, now teaches elementary music.
Hebda’s son Kirk, 13, takes a full schedule at the makeshift school: seventh-grade math, art, English, science, choir, physical education and keyboarding.
Distance learning makes routine classroom interactions more difficult, he said.
“I think it’s working,” Kirk said, “but in some classes it’s harder than others to learn what the teacher’s teaching. Like in math, you can’t interrupt his lesson to ask him questions. And in art right now, we’re working with paint. You have to mix paint. So you don’t know if you have the right color or not that the teacher wants.”
A lesson on burrito-making looks a lot different viewed on a Chromebook screen.
Silver Creek students watch on multiple webcams as their Genoa classmates cook. The Silver Creek kitchen is unavailable when class is in session, so they must cook later in the day.
During a recent class, seventh-grade Family and Consumer Science teacher Britton Andreason explained the steps for folding a tight burrito.
From the Genoa kitchen, she peered into the camera and quizzed Silver Creek students on the steps.
“Tell me what is the last thing you do when making the burritos,” she said.
“Fold in the sides and roll up the tortilla,” student Skye Sock answered.
The southside kids chip in with comments on their classmates’ culinary creations.
Seventh-grader Mason Rinkol, 13, said Silver Creek students get the recipe a day in advance, and they plan out the cooking.
They cook during homeroom, when the school kitchen is available.
It’s harder with no teacher present, because they don’t get feedback, he said.
But the kids use their common sense, he said.
“We have an aide come in and watch, just to make sure we didn’t burn the place down,” he said.
Even music class is conducted online, and a recent lesson involved singing.
Seventh-graders — on this particular day all boys — gathered around a table in the lunch room, and their teacher Tammy Wittwer appeared on the Chromebook screen.
“Boys, today we’re going to be talking about Stephen Foster,” she said. “Do you know who Stephen Foster is?”
After giving the students a quick biography of the famous 19th century American composer, she led them singing one of his popular hits: “Oh! Susanna.”
The students all joined in.
Elementary Principal Tod Heier said the school setup has been described as “a mock college campus.”
The situation is a “brand new experience for everyone in the school district,” he said.
“We’re very lucky that we are one-to-one Chromebooks, and that we have teachers who know how to use the technology to instruct kids,” he said.
Superintendent Weidner said setting up the school and its classes was easy compared with coordinating divided clubs, music groups and athletics.
Sam Robb, who teaches math in the gym lobby, coaches track team members from the Silver Creek site.
Some hurdles were shipped down from Genoa, he said. But there’s no running track.
“Our track is now the village pond,” he said.
The pond on the south side of town has a trail around it. He measured it on Google Maps so the kids could run their 400s and 800s, he said.
When the split teammates came together for their first track meet, he said, the southside kids and northside had an emotional reunion.
“Everybody started running toward each other and hugging, like they hadn’t seen each other in forever,” he said.
Southsider Kamryn Lemburg, a freshman who runs relays and does triple jump, said it’s hard to practice.
“Everybody’s split up, so relay teams don’t get to practice their handoffs and stuff,” she said.
She said she also misses her friends in Genoa.
Repairs on area roads since the flood have reduced the driving time between the towns to 45 minutes. Work has started on Highway 39 and Monroe Road. The highway isn’t expected to open till next fall. Fixing Monroe Road could take months, too.
Superintendent Weidner said that for now, “this is the new normal.”
Freshman Swayden Freke said he hopes the bridges get fixed by the start of school next year.
He misses his friends, and he’s concerned about gas money.
“I’m going to be doing football, and I don’t want to be driving, like, 60 miles to football every day,” he said.
One thing officials kept on schedule was prom.
The date was March 23, and area roads were still a mess. Officials made a few tweaks, given the situation.
Students were locked in at the after-prom party. Parents had to sign out their kids to make sure they got home safely on the long drive.
Or the kids could bring a sleeping bag, stay overnight and drive home in daylight.
The theme was Enchanted Garden.
People watch from the Huron Street bridge as water from Willow Creek flows just under a bridge in Missouri Valley, Iowa, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
Standing water from melting snow and rain reflects the evening sky as a truck travels north on Highway 275 near Fremont, Nebraska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
Crews from Ashland, Mead and Yutan Fire and Rescue assist with evacuations in Ashland. Sixteen temporary shelters in Nebraska opened to take in such evacuees.
Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Keith Bell surveys the water levels as floodwaters continue to rise near Salt Creek in Ashland, Nebraska, on March 14, 2019.
Sean Hanger, of Ashland, and his son Aiden navigate the floodwaters that continue to rise near Jack Anderson Ball Park in Ashland, Nebraska, on March 14, 2019.
Both Iowa and Nebraska were hit hard by flooding earlier this year and are in need of the disaster aid. Bell Creek, on the east side of Arlington, Nebraska, flooded parts of the town in March 2019.
Blake Japp pulls his remote-controlled truck out of the water while playing in the shallow floodwaters of Bell Creek on Thursday, March 14, 2019, in Arlington, Nebraska.
Brent Schwindt of Norfolk, Nebraska, holds his son Paul, 4 months, as his wife, Lacey Hansen, sleeps on a blow up mattress at Lutheran High Northeast on Thursday, March 14, 2019, in Norfolk. The school was being used as an evacuation shelter for people affected by flooding in the area.
Motorists are forced to turn around as West Maple Road west of 216th Street is closed as floodwaters rise over the road near the Elkhorn River in Elkhorn, Nebraska, Friday, March 15, 2019.
A crowd of people gather to overlook the floodwaters that continue to rise along the Missouri River in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, on Friday, March 15, 2019.
Adam Jensen races to load his Lincoln Navigator outside his home near Mayne and Condron Streets in Valley, Nebraska. With three kids and a dog they plan to head to a hotel in Iowa. Valley residents were ordered to evacuate because of flooding on Friday, March 15, 2019.
Paul Schmidt walks with his children Calvin and Avery while looking back at floodwaters over Broad Street in Fremont Nebraska on Friday, March 15, 2019.
At sunrise, Norfolk City Engineer Steven Rames inspects the levy next to Northeast Community College on Friday, March 15, 2019, in Norfolk, Nebraska. Rames said that the levy was stable and that the water had dropped 8 to 9 feet.
Volunteers race to stave off floodwater by sandbagging along Old U.S. Highway 275 between Morningside Road and Downing Street in Fremont, Nebraska, on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
Anthony Thomson, left, and Melody Walton make their way out of the flooded blocks near 1st and M Streets after a visit to Melody's house where they loaded up supplies in Fremont, Nebraska on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
A crowd gathers to watch residents make their way in and out of the flooded blocks near 1st and M Streets in Fremont, Nebraska on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
Bonnie Warner, Barb Pierce, Katie Cameron and Amanda Pierce cheer for a convoy of Hy-Vee trucks escorted by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Army National on Sunday, March 17, 2019. The trucks delivered much needed supplies to the city that was surrounded by floodwaters.
Hy-Vee staff rush to offload a convoy of trucks that were escorted by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Army National Guard Sunday, March 17, 2019 in Fremont, Neb. The trucks delivered much needed supplies to the city that was surrounded by floodwaters.
People gather in downtown Hamburg, Iowa to watch the floodwaters creep closer to a barrier built on Sunday, March 17, 2019. The levee protecting the town from the floodwaters of the Missouri River broke, flooding the town.
Paul and Margaret Vorthmann's flood damaged home in shown in Missouri Valley, Iowa on Monday March 19, 2019. The family began the process to salvage items from the home and clean.
Amelia Fritz, left, hugs her daughter Heather Rockwell in Glenwood, Iowa on Monday, March 18, 2019. They were evacuated from Pacific Junction, Iowa after floodwaters hit the town. They are part of 15 relatives all staying in the same house or in a camper in the front driveway.
Residents such as Andrew Bauer and Shawn Shonerd of the Bellwood Lakes neighborhood are among some who can only access their home by boat on Monday March 18, 2019.
Shawn Shonerd, left, and his partner Andrew Bauer, who live in Bellwood Lakes are surrounded by large chunks of ice Monday March 18, 2019 after the historic flooding along the Platte River days prior in Bellwood, Nebraska.
Two vehicles on the property of Duane Graybill are in disarray in Bellwood, Nebraska, Monday, March 18 after flooding hit the Bellwood Lakes neighborhood.
Kelcie Keeling holds a Nebraska necklace. Keeling has led the effort of donations that are available for those in need at the Butler County Event Center in David City, Nebraska, Monday, March 18, 2019.
A Canada goose flies over Matthew J. Placzek's "Monument to Labor" sculpture as floodwaters from the Missouri River begin to recede on the Omaha riverfront on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
Donated bottled water is donated at the North Bend Central Junior/Senior High School Tuesday, March 19, 2019 as residents deal with the aftermath of major flooding which occurred days earlier in North Bend, Nebraska.
Treyton Gubser, left, and his uncle Daniel Gubser paddle using shovels through the floodwaters after they rescued Daniel's kid's cat, Bob in Hamburg, Iowa on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
Lori Steinauer walks through a patio area of her flooded cabin located in the Willow Point neighborhood in Ashland, Nebraska, Thursday, March 21, 2019.
Photos: Major flooding hit Nebraska and Iowa towns in March 2019
People watch from the Huron Street bridge as water from Willow Creek flows just under a bridge in Missouri Valley, Iowa, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
The junction of Highway 275 and Highway 91 is flooded on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, just north of Scribner, Nebraska.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Cody Stump walks through a flooded street in Hooper, Nebraska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
High water rolls through a street in Hooper, Nebraska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
High water floods a street in Hooper, Nebraska, near a trailer park on March 13, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
High water floods a street in Hooper, Nebraska, near an old bank building on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Standing water from melting snow and rain reflects the evening sky as a truck travels north on Highway 275 near Fremont, Nebraska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Crews from the Ashland, Mead and Yutan Fire and Rescue assist with evacuating the final residents in Ashland, Nebraska, on Thursday, March 14, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERAL
Crews from Ashland, Mead and Yutan Fire and Rescue assist with evacuations in Ashland. Sixteen temporary shelters in Nebraska opened to take in such evacuees.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Keith Bell surveys the water levels as floodwaters continue to rise near Salt Creek in Ashland, Nebraska, on March 14, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Sean Hanger, of Ashland, and his son Aiden navigate the floodwaters that continue to rise near Jack Anderson Ball Park in Ashland, Nebraska, on March 14, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERAL
Floodwaters continue to rise near Furnas and North 15th Streets in Ashland, Nebraska, on March 14, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Residents are rescued from a flooded area near Missouri Valley, Iowa, on March 14, 2019.
JOE DEJKA, THE WORLD-HERALD
Jenna Muntz stands behind a row of sandbags as she takes a photo of the rising floodwaters in Cedar Creek, Nebraska, on Thursday, March 14, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A semitrailer truck that tried crossing Bell Creek in Arlington, Nebraska, was swept off the road by fast moving floodwaters.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Both Iowa and Nebraska were hit hard by flooding earlier this year and are in need of the disaster aid. Bell Creek, on the east side of Arlington, Nebraska, flooded parts of the town in March 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Blake Japp pulls his remote-controlled truck out of the water while playing in the shallow floodwaters of Bell Creek on Thursday, March 14, 2019, in Arlington, Nebraska.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Bell Creek, on the east side of Arlington, Nebraska, flooded parts of the town in March 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
People navigate over giant chunks of ice that were thrown by floodwaters near River Resort in Yutan, Nebraska, on March 14, 2019.
JEFF BUNDY, THE WORLD-HERALD
A flooded home near Mosquito Creek in Council Bluffs on Thursday, March 14, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS, THE WORLD-HERALD
Two corn cobs float in floodwaters near Mosquito Creek in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Thursday, March 14, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
A Blackhawk helicopter hovers over Waterloo on Friday, March 15, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A cow makes his way through floodwaters near Columbus, Nebraska, on Friday, March 15, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A house is surrounded by floodwaters near Waterloo, Nebraska, on Friday, March 15, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Floodwaters run through the town of Rogers, Nebraska, on Friday, March 15, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Highway 75's northbound lane is closed because of flooding near Merritt's Beach RV Park on Friday, March 15, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Cars drive drive across a flooded Platte River on Highway 50 just north of Louisville on Friday, March 15.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Water covers a road near Valley, Nebraska, on Friday, March 15, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Brent Schwindt of Norfolk, Nebraska, holds his son Paul, 4 months, as his wife, Lacey Hansen, sleeps on a blow up mattress at Lutheran High Northeast on Thursday, March 14, 2019, in Norfolk. The school was being used as an evacuation shelter for people affected by flooding in the area.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Motorists are forced to turn around as West Maple Road west of 216th Street is closed as floodwaters rise over the road near the Elkhorn River in Elkhorn, Nebraska, Friday, March 15, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
A crowd of people gather to overlook the floodwaters that continue to rise along the Missouri River in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, on Friday, March 15, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Homes, vehicles and RV's are submerged in floodwaters that continue to rise along the Missouri River in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Friday, March 15, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Adam Jensen races to load his Lincoln Navigator outside his home near Mayne and Condron Streets in Valley, Nebraska. With three kids and a dog they plan to head to a hotel in Iowa. Valley residents were ordered to evacuate because of flooding on Friday, March 15, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
CJ Cunningham holds his German shorthaired pointer Cazz after they were rescued from the King Lake area on Friday, March 15, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Water flows over Highway 30 between Fremont and Arlington, Nebraska on March 15.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
People keep an eye on floodwaters along Highway 30 between Fremont and Arlington, Nebraska on Friday, March 15, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Horses belonging to Faye Etherington are brought into town through floodwaters on Highway 77 in Fremont, Nebraska, on Friday, March 15, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS, THE WORLD-HERALD
Paul Schmidt walks with his children Calvin and Avery while looking back at floodwaters over Broad Street in Fremont Nebraska on Friday, March 15, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
At sunrise, Norfolk City Engineer Steven Rames inspects the levy next to Northeast Community College on Friday, March 15, 2019, in Norfolk, Nebraska. Rames said that the levy was stable and that the water had dropped 8 to 9 feet.
RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD
A pickup is stranded on the east side of Norfolk, Nebraska, in floodwaters on Friday, March 15, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Sarpy County Sheriff’s Deputy Darin Morrissey rides an ATV through floodwaters in Hawaiian Village on March 16.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Ron Eklund looks east at a flooded Main Street on the eastern edge of Plattsmouth on March 16.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Bo Staskiewicz helps out as volunteers filled sandbags on Main Street in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Volunteers race to stave off floodwater by sandbagging along Old U.S. Highway 275 between Morningside Road and Downing Street in Fremont, Nebraska, on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS, THE WORLD-HERALD
Volunteers racing to stave off floodwaters take part in a sandbagging effort along Old U.S. Highway 275 in Fremont on March 16, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS, THE WORLD-HERALD
The Elkhorn River covers West Dodge Road on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
JEFF BUNDY, THE WORLD-HERALD
Floodwaters cover Valley, Nebraska, on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
JEFF BUNDY, THE WORLD-HERALD
Water runs through a breached levee near Ashland, Nebraska, on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
JEFF BUNDY, THE WORLD-HERALD
Luke Thomas and Air Force Tech Sgt. Vanessa Vidaurre look at a flooded portion of Offutt Air Force Base on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
Z LONG, THE WORLD-HERALD
Nearly 3,000 feet of Offutt Air Force Base's runway is now covered by the Missouri River on Sunday March 17, 2019.
Z LONG, THE WORLD-HERALD
Anthony Thomson, left, and Melody Walton make their way out of the flooded blocks near 1st and M Streets after a visit to Melody's house where they loaded up supplies in Fremont, Nebraska on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
A crowd gathers to watch residents make their way in and out of the flooded blocks near 1st and M Streets in Fremont, Nebraska on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Floodwaters destroyed County Road 18 at U.S. Highway 30 near Fremont, Nebraska on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Bonnie Warner, Barb Pierce, Katie Cameron and Amanda Pierce cheer for a convoy of Hy-Vee trucks escorted by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Army National on Sunday, March 17, 2019. The trucks delivered much needed supplies to the city that was surrounded by floodwaters.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Hy-Vee staff rush to offload a convoy of trucks that were escorted by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Army National Guard Sunday, March 17, 2019 in Fremont, Neb. The trucks delivered much needed supplies to the city that was surrounded by floodwaters.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
People in Hamburg, Iowa, fill sandbags and build a water retaining wall as they defend the town from floodwaters on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Interstate 29 west on Hamburg, Iowa, is submerged by floodwaters from the Missouri River on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Bradley Perry and other help to fill sandbags as the city of Hamburg, Iowa, fights to keep their town from flooding on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Water runs over the levee protecting Hamburg, Iowa, on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Lana Brandt of Hamburg, Iowa checks out the rising water on the south side of the city on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The sun begins to set on the Missouri River floodwaters west of Hamburg, Iowa, on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Businesses on the southwest side of Hamburg, Iowa, were flooded on Sunday, March 17, 2019.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
People gather in downtown Hamburg, Iowa to watch the floodwaters creep closer to a barrier built on Sunday, March 17, 2019. The levee protecting the town from the floodwaters of the Missouri River broke, flooding the town.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Floodwaters from the Elkhorn River begin to recede, revealing a heavily damaged west Dodge road on Monday March 18, 2019.
JEFF BUNDY
Paul and Margaret Vorthmann's flood damaged home in shown in Missouri Valley, Iowa on Monday March 19, 2019. The family began the process to salvage items from the home and clean.
MEGAN MCGILL/THE WORLD-HERALD
Amelia Fritz, left, hugs her daughter Heather Rockwell in Glenwood, Iowa on Monday, March 18, 2019. They were evacuated from Pacific Junction, Iowa after floodwaters hit the town. They are part of 15 relatives all staying in the same house or in a camper in the front driveway.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Residents such as Andrew Bauer and Shawn Shonerd of the Bellwood Lakes neighborhood are among some who can only access their home by boat on Monday March 18, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Shawn Shonerd, left, and his partner Andrew Bauer, who live in Bellwood Lakes are surrounded by large chunks of ice Monday March 18, 2019 after the historic flooding along the Platte River days prior in Bellwood, Nebraska.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Debris floats on the surface of water in the Bellwood Lakes neighborhood in Bellwood, Nebraska Monday, March 18, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Two vehicles on the property of Duane Graybill are in disarray in Bellwood, Nebraska, Monday, March 18 after flooding hit the Bellwood Lakes neighborhood.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Kelcie Keeling holds a Nebraska necklace. Keeling has led the effort of donations that are available for those in need at the Butler County Event Center in David City, Nebraska, Monday, March 18, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Tom Strigenzs talks about the four feet of floodwater that occupies the basement of his Hawaiian Village home on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
A Canada goose flies over Matthew J. Placzek's "Monument to Labor" sculpture as floodwaters from the Missouri River begin to recede on the Omaha riverfront on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Jake Nebuda removes damaged items from the flooded basement of his brother Joe Nebuda's home in North Bend, Nebraska, Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Donated bottled water is donated at the North Bend Central Junior/Senior High School Tuesday, March 19, 2019 as residents deal with the aftermath of major flooding which occurred days earlier in North Bend, Nebraska.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Samantha Wentz walks through floodwaters near 1st Street and Pierce Street in Fremont, Nebraska, Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
A vehicle is stuck in floodwaters near 1st Street and Pierce Street in Fremont, Nebraska, Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Melissa Lenagh waits for the owners of the pets she rescued from floodwaters to show up in Hamburg, Iowa on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Treyton Gubser, left, and his uncle Daniel Gubser paddle using shovels through the floodwaters after they rescued Daniel's kid's cat, Bob in Hamburg, Iowa on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Bob the cat looks on from a basket in a boat after being rescued from floodwaters in Hamburg, Iowa on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
People on a boat navigate through floodwaters that cover Washington Street in Hamburg, Iowa on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
The cab of a pickup truck peeks out of floodwaters in Hamburg, Iowa on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Lori Steinauer walks through the kitchen of her flooded cabin in the Willow Point neighborhood near Ashland, Nebraska, Thursday, March 21, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Dave Ziola stands near a flooded home in the Willow Point neighborhood of Ashland, Nebraska Thursday, March 21, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
Lori Steinauer walks through a patio area of her flooded cabin located in the Willow Point neighborhood in Ashland, Nebraska, Thursday, March 21, 2019.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERAL
An angel statuary sits in a flooded yard in the Hanson Lakes areas in Bellevue on Friday, March 22, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Steve O'Donnell works to open the skylight of his parent's flooded house in the Hanson Lakes areas in Bellevue on Friday March 22, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Steve O'Donnell exits his parent's flooded in the Hanson's Lake areas in Bellevue Friday, March 22, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
A basketball hoop is tipped over into floodwaters in the Hanson Lakes area near Bellevue, Neb. Friday, March 22, 2019.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Tim Bazar of Bellevue stands on the back deck of his flooded house on Chalet Drive in the Hanson's Lake area in Bellevue on Friday, March 22, 2019.
At a makeshift school inside Twin River Elementary School in Silver Creek, juniors Carter Frenzen and Marissa Morris connect to their history class in Genoa and teacher Gabe Stalder via video conferencing April 5.
In the gymnasium at Twin River Elementary School in Silver Creek, Nebraska, sophomores Tony Jarecki, Weston Graham and Ross Hebda connect via video conference to their World History class and teacher Ryan Sidwell in Genoa, Nebraska, on April 5.
Major flooding that hit Nebraska and Iowa in March caused this bridge collapse on Highway 39, knocking out the quickest route for Silver Creek students to reach their schools in Genoa, Nebraska.
Seventh-graders Skye Sock, left, Lydia Ziemba, Brayden Rinkol, right, and Mason Rinkol participate in their home economics class via video conference from the gymnasium at Twin River Elementary School in Silver Creek.
Inside the gymnasium at Twin River Elementary School in Silver Creek, sophomores, Tony Jarecki, left, Weston Graham, center, and Ross Hebda connect via video conference to their World History class and teacher Ryan Sidwell in Genoa, Nebraska.
In the cafeteria of Twin River Elementary School in Silver Creek, seventh-grader Brayden Rinkol joins in a live music lesson delivered via Chromebook by teacher Tammy Wittwer in Genoa, Nebraska.
Inside the gymnasium at Twin Creek Elementary School in Silver Creek, seventh graders Skye Sock, right, Brayden Rinkol, left, and Mason Rinkol connect via video conference to their home economics class at their usual school in Genoa, Nebraska.
Twin River Elementary School Silver Creek is now serving as a place of education for students kindergarten through twelfth grade in Silver Creek, Nebraska, on April 5.
In the cafeteria of Twin River Elementary School in Silver Creek, seventh-grade boys connect via video conference to their music class in Genoa, Nebraska, on April 5.
Major flooding that hit Nebraska and Iowa in March caused caused a bridge collapse on Highway 39, knocking out the quickest route for Silver Creek students to reach their schools in Genoa, Nebraska.