Local The 10 biggest stories in Lincoln and across Nebraska from 2019

Photo by Eric Fowler . The unrestrained flooding which followed destroyed 3 bridges downstream, including the Highway 281 bridge.. For many Nebraskans, 2019 was a tough year. (Office of Governor Pete Ricketts/Reuters) … Heavy flooding … In east central Nebraska, residents along the flooded Missouri, Platte and Elkhorn Rivers were forced to evacuate as some locals experienced all-time record flooding. The Niobrara-area flooding brutalized the business she and her husband started six years ago.
Highway 281 is seen damaged after a storm triggered historic flooding on March 16 in Niobrara, Neb. By Eric Fowler. On March 14, 2019, the Spencer Dam on the Niobrara River collapsed, releasing an eleven-foot wall of water. A deluge of water and ice washed out Spencer Dam on the Niobrara River in Boyd County March 14.

Record-high river levels were reported in at least 38 locations in the Midwest, particularly in Nebraska and Iowa, said Jonathan Erdman, a senior meteorologist with weather.com.