Daily Sun staff
The Big Blue River is expected to crest Saturday at 18.5 feet after the Sunland area received a break from rain showers Friday.
“We’re sitting pretty good,” said Mark Meints, Gage County Emergency Management director.
Gage County roads did suffer damage from heavy rains which fell in the area Thursday night, Meints said. Some county roads, like Hickory and Dogwood roads, were still closed Friday due to water over the roadway.
The county next week will continue to assess damage. There was no dollar estimate on how much damage was done, he said.
Chautauqua Park in Beatrice remained closed Friday and campers were evacuated Thursday night after water flooded areas of the park, Meints said.
Flooding of Rose Creek in the southern portion of Jefferson County has kept numerous roads closed, according to John McKee, Jefferson County Emergency Management director.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Rose Creek until 1 p.m. Saturday. In addition, minor lowland flooding was occurring in other parts of the county, including in the vicinity of Fairbury.
Water levels were forecast to drop slowly into Saturday.
McKee also said drivers should stay off roads when they are closed. The roads may look fine, but there may be structural damage or damaged culverts that can go unseen to people, he said.
“Those roads are closed for a reason and they should adhere to it,” McKee said.
The Little Blue River was full to the banks Friday afternoon and county officials were keeping a close eye on it. They hoped any chance of rain in the area would hold off.
“We’re doing fine and if we can by-pass anything for a few days, we’ll be doing better,” McKee said.
In Saline County, a flood warning continued for Turkey Creek near Wilber until Sunday afternoon. As of early Friday afternoon, the creek level stood at 12.6 feet, 1.6 feet above flood stage. The creek was expected to fall to below flood stage by late Saturday evening.
In Kansas, a flood warning was issued for the Big Blue River near Blue Rapids, where the river was expected to crest at near 33.5 feet on Saturday afternoon. Flood stage is 26 feet. The river was forecast to fall to below flood stage by Monday afternoon.
Another flood warning was issued for the Little Blue River above Barnes, Kan., where the river was expected to crest at 17.5 feet by Saturday morning before falling below flood stage of 16 feet by Saturday evening.