Flash Flooding Continues to Affect Roads, Parking Lots

Grand Island shattered rain fall records. The Central Nebraska Regional Airport received 6.41 inches of rain. The old June record was 4.18. It's the second highest 24 hour total on record. Here's more on the situation from the City of GI.

Grand Island, Neb. — Following last night’s heavy rainfall, many areas in Grand Island experienced flooding, resulting in standing water on roads and parking lots, homes inundated with water, and dozens of vehicles stranded. There are no reported injuries or deaths as a result of this event.

Several homes reported their sewers backing up, water running into basements and some residents took shelter at local hotels or with friends and family. The Grand Island Police Department responded to dozens of calls to assist motorists who were stuck in flooded roadways.

Public safety officials are urging residents to remain cautious during their morning commute because many roads are still inundated with water and dangerous.

“We’re asking everyone to take it slow, avoid driving through standing water, and use alternate routes when possible,” Director of Emergency Management Jon Rosenlund said. “If you can delay your opening today, we would highly recommend you do so.”

The National Weather Service Hastings Office issued a Flash Flood Emergency Warning at 11:45 p.m. on June 25, following several inches of heavy rain. More than seven inches of new rain fell, approaching the all-time record for a single-day rain event.

“This was an extraordinary rainstorm and is very similar to the historic rains seen in the 2005 floods,” Rosenlund said. “We will be actively monitoring rivers, creeks and other drainage areas over the next few days for future flooding issues.”

Rosenlund and the Hall County Emergency Management team wanted to offer some key safety tips as waters begin to recede this morning:

  *   Do not drive through flooded roads — even shallow water can hide hazards or cause loss of vehicle control
  *   Avoid flooded parking lots, especially near storm drains or sloped areas where water may be deeper than it appears
  *   Watch for detours and obey any temporary signage or roadblocks placed by local authorities
  *   Report hazardous conditions by calling 911
  *   Watch for stalled or immobile vehicles on the roads, ditches, or parking lots

With daylight and receding water, the ability to more completely assess damages will shed light on the effects of this incident. We remind everyone that conditions are going to change throughout the day and residents are reminded to stay safe, report dangerous conditions immediately, and remember to “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”

Residents can self-report their damages to the Emergency Management Department by visiting https://report-ne-hall.orioncentral.com/.

For more information, please contact Grand Island Communications Manager Spencer Schubert at [email protected].