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2019 Nebraska Flood Food and Water Response:

Researching and determining the immediate needs, challenges, and lessons learned following the 2019 March floods

In the spring of 2019, communities across the state of Nebraska experienced an unprecedented weather event when rising river waters led to flooding and were followed by a bomb cyclone bringing snow and falling temperatures. The weather events led the state to declare an emergency in 81 counties and five tribal nations as cities and towns grappled with the aftereffects of flooding. National and local organizations, community leaders, and Nebraskans jumped into action to ensure those affected by flood waters received the clean water and food they needed. Even though flood waters receded quickly, needs continued to arise as community members grappled with the long-term damage. A loss of homes, jobs and savings resulted in many families being forced to cut their food budget in order to pay for recovery expenses. Damages reached $3.4 Billion and included damaged or destroyed homes and businesses, loss of roads, levees, infrastructure and crop and cattle losses.

CENTER FOR NUTRITION & HEALTH IMPACT'S ROLE:

The Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) conducted a case study of the March 2019 Nebraska floods to understand how natural disasters impact the people living in affected areas, especially vulnerable populations, and to examine lessons learned related to emergency food and sheltering during natural disasters and recovery. The Center conducted 27 interviews with community and state stakeholders including long-term recovery groups, disaster preparation and relief organizations, county emergency managers and community leaders.

THE FINDINGS:

Lessons Learned

Need for:

• Preparedness for large-impact, low-frequency disasters and increased capacity to plan, respond and recover on local-levels

• Increased collaboration among local disaster relief organizations and enhanced mass-communication capacity among responders and the public

• Improved communication channels and inclusive outreach with citizens to ensure everyone is aware of disaster preparedness and available resources and where to find them.

• Increased coordination for the large-scale influx of disjointed donations

• Increased consideration around locations for shelters and resource sites and providing food and water to adequately meet needs as they change through the recovery process

• Resilience and understanding that disaster response will not always follow a predetermined plan

Challenges

• Cities were stranded due to high waters, collapsed bridges and washed out roads

• Water treatment facilities, water lines and independent water wells serving rural families were damaged

• Displaced families had to figure out how to feed a family without kitchens and limited budgets

• Immediate needs included access to clean water (bottled or boiled) and food, as well as a safe place to sleep.

See what we discovered:

This report sheds light on the myriad of important steps taken and avenues considered to ensure affected Nebraskans received clean water and food in the days following the flooding and into the state’s long-term recovery. It collects the many recommendations and lessons learned brought up by interviewees. Experiencing and analyzing this event enables state, county and local organizations to build knowledge, make changes to existing plans and solidify new ones for future events.