Debris covers the banks of the Niobrara River near Niobrara, Neb. It almost looks like a tornado tore through the area, not floodwater, but the water and ice did a lot of damage.
"The flood of 2011 nearly killed Niobrara tourism, and here we go again. This is going to hurt our community. It's going to hurt the State Park. It affects everyone. It's devastating for us," Mary Snowdon said. Snowdon lives just outside of Niobrara.
Complete buildings were swept off their foundations. Today, sheds and storage units sit torn to shreds. Debris is dispersed all over the Niobrara Valley Golf Course. A pontoon with no known owner, sits in the middle of a fairway.
Farmers and Ranchers saw livestock swept away before their eyes. Fields are now covered with sticks.
"Some of the fields are just covered with logs metal, tanks, just unbelievable, stuff is everywhere," Snowdon said.
Human life was also taken by the flood. Searchers still are looking for Kenny Angel.
"There was one guy right up by the Spencer Dam that we lost, and they are still looking for him," Austin Motacek said. Motacek also lives in the area.
The biggest concern for people in the Niobrara area right now is a bridge out west of town. The state of Nebraska says a temporary bridge will not be in place until August at the earliest.
We will have more on the problems this is creating, coming up on KSFY News next week.
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