Montana On May 22, 2011, flooding of the
Little Bighorn River and nearby tributaries inundated
Crow Agency and shut down
Interstate 90 between
Hardin and the Wyoming state line. May 26 flooding on
Musselshell River inundated portions of
Roundup. Waters from the
Shields River entering the
Yellowstone River created flooding that closed a portion of
Interstate 90 from
Livingston to
Springdale. Flooding on Pryor Creek, another tributary of the
Yellowstone River prompted closing of
Pompeys Pillar National Monument.
North Dakota On May 10 President
Barack Obama declared much of North Dakota a disaster area over flooding which began on February 14 and had been continuing. Some of the most dramatic
flooding in North Dakota was on
Souris River which comes close to the Missouri but is not a tributary as it flows instead north into the
Assiniboine River in Canada, which also experienced prior
flooding. 10,000 people in
Minot were evacuated on June 1. On June 20 after they returned, officials announced that a new crest from new heavy rains would result in the river being a foot higher than the first crest. On June 21, 12,000 people, a quarter of the town's population, were ordered to evacuate after
Lake Darling Dam had to step up its release of water. Amtrak suspended service on the
Empire Builder through Minnesota, North Dakota and eastern Montana. On June 3, South Dakota governor
Dennis Daugaard urged residents in the Country Club section of
Dakota Dunes (which is below
Gavins Point Dam) to evacuate. He noted that it might be two months before they could return. On June 21, South Dakota reported its first flood fatalities when two women drowned in
Lyman County, South Dakota, after they drove their car down a washed out road. The fatalities were unrelated to flooding and increased releases on the Missouri River, but rather related to flash flooding from heavy rains according to the Lyman County Herald of Presho, S.D. On the same day
Pierre, South Dakota, officials estimated costs from the flood would be $13.2 million for that community. On June 30, the spillway at Big Bend Dam was temporarily closed for inspections.
Iowa On June 10, the
WinnaVegas Casino, which is owned by the
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, near
Sloan, was inaccessible. Shortly after, a yellow
amphibious vehicle known locally as "the Duck" was used to provide transportation from Sloan across the floodwaters to the casino. The Duck now makes annual appearances as a
float in
Winnebago High School's homecoming parade. On June 4, near River Mile 575 (near
Hamburg), the main levee suffered a partial collapse. One June 5, it suffered a second partial collapse. On June 7, it suffered a third partial collapse. Finally, on June 13, it suffered a total collapse and had a wide gap. After the first partial collapse, the Corps of Engineers initiated an emergency contract to raise the levee immediately surrounding the town in order to protect it from an estimated of flood water. On June 22, a mandatory evacuation of all residents in
Mills County between
Interstate 29 and the Missouri River was declared. On June 25, a levee breach north of
Council Bluffs flooded an area of
Harrison County which could impact
U.S. Route 30 connecting
Blair, Nebraska and
Missouri Valley, Iowa.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge was also impacted by the break in the levee. On June 27, officials said water "could begin slopping" over the emergency levee at Hamburg on its west side. The
Nishnabotna River on its east side was reported to be two feet above flood stage. On July 1, the main levee near
Percival (16 miles north of Hamburg) breached in the early morning hours adding to the flooded conditions from the Hamburg breach. The breach occurred despite a month-long battle by the local residents. On July 1, the privately owned Vanmann #30 levee at Mile Marker 637 to 637.5 on the Iowa side, about 10 river miles south of the reactor, was blown up by the local levee authority. The levee destruction was done to alleviate flooding in a bend of the river where water was pooling on cropland and creating an enormous water pool directly opposite the reactor. Authorities initially reported a rise in the river after the levee was blown. Both the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said they did not regulate the levee. Flooding on the Iowa side had been a source of considerable concern after a June 25 levee breach upstream of the reactor near
Missouri Valley, Iowa, prompted evacuations of 18 homes, temporary closing of the
Blair Bridge (while flood walls were built to protect the
Iowa approach) and closing of
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on the DeSoto Bend. They had raised the levee height in anticipation of the flood but after the upstream breach they had sought permission to lower it so that water could flow back into the river. When both Iowa and the Corps said they did not have authority over it the levee board blew it up at approximately 10 a.m. on July 1.
Pottawattamie County, Iowa, officials initially said they were notified only minutes prior to the levee being blown up, but those overseeing the levee had notified
Harrison County, Iowa, officials earlier. On July 1, the Corps reported that runoff on the river for June was the largest of any month on the river below Sioux City since record keeping began in 1898. June runoff was , beating the April 1952 record of . The third highest record was which was set in May 2011. The combined runoff for May and June was . The normal for the entire year is . On July 11, officials at
Sioux Gateway Airport said they were experiencing higher ticket sales. They speculated that the difficulty of driving from Sioux City and Omaha had spurred the increase. As flood waters started to recede by late August, flood damage to Interstate highways 29 and 680 north of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was reported as extensive. Discounting the interstate system flood damage to county roads in Pottawattamie County alone was expected to amount to $40 million in repair costs.
Nebraska , while the further treeline is the normal east bank of Iowa. On June 2,
Scouts Rest Ranch,
Buffalo Bill's home near the Platte River in
North Platte, closed because of flood fears. Exhibits were moved and berms were built around the buildings. On July 13, officials said the flooding was not as severe as had been expected. On June 4, Omaha city officials began releasing of raw sewage per day into the river from its plant in South Omaha. The city generates about a day, but only a small percentage is dumped into the river. The city of Omaha installed giant water pumps just east of
Qwest Center Omaha to evacuate storm and sewer water directly into the Missouri River. By June 22, the city estimated 3 million dollars had been spent directly towards this flooding event. On June 9, Nebraska reported its first event-related fatality when a worker was killed while working on a levee at Fort Calhoun when his truck tipped over. The flooding affected the
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station near
Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, where the grounds of the plant were inundated by the flood, however, the plant had been in safe shutdown mode for refueling since April 2011. On June 6, the
Federal Aviation Administration placed flight restrictions over the plant within a radius in which planes cannot fly lower than over the plant. On June 7, a fire broke out in the plant's switch gear room, prompting the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission to declare an "Alert", which is level 2 on the
NRC's emergency classification. Officials for the plant's owner, the
Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), were confident that enough redundancies were in place to ensure adequate safety. The complex's elevation is elevation above sea level and as of June 19 the river had risen to . Officials from OPPD stated the Calhoun plant could handle water up to . An high and long rubber berm surrounded the reactor building. On June 23 a helicopter being used by OPPD to survey transmission lines made an unplanned landing south of the plant. The helicopter was photographed lying on its side but there were no reports of injuries. On June 26 the long rubber berm at the plant collapsed after it was punctured by a small earth mover ("Bobcat"). It was reported more than of water rushed in around buildings and electrical transformers. Backup generators were then used to ensure the facility maintained electrical power for cooling. NRC officials were at the plant at the time and NRC statements said the plant remains safe. NRC Chairman
Gregory Jaczko confirmed the plant's safety when he visited the plant on June 27. On June 29 officials planned to close the
Blair Bridge north of the plant effectively making the river impossible to drive across for from Sioux City to Omaha—although officials said they hoped to erect flood barriers to reopen it. Officials said, "There is no threat to plant employees or to the public; the plant continues to operate safely." In preparation for the flood more than of sand were bought in for barricades and
Hesco barriers protecting facilities at the plant. The plant is above natural grade. On June 19, the river was reported above flood stage at Brownville. The Cooper plant sits at above sea level. The river hit on June 19 before dropping slightly to on June 20. On June 23, the main levee north of
Brownville bridge breached, prompting an evacuation in Atchison County, MO. On June 27, officials said 12 of 70 planned dewatering wells at
Eppley Airfield in Omaha were functional. The wells pump water collecting around the airport over the levee wall back into the Missouri River. On July 1, the flood level at Omaha hit , higher than the on July 10, 1993, during the 1993 flood but lower than the all-time record of on April 18, 1952. On July 2, the Corps of Engineers awarded a $1.4 million contract to shore up the levee system around
Eppley Airfield with a seepage berm to allow water to seep through the levee but hold the levee materials in place. On July 3, Lindbergh Road which rings Eppley by the levees was closed so work could continue on 70 relief wells by the levees. On July 5, the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency reported that of Nebraska has been inundated by floods on the Missouri and the
Platte River. At the same time NASA released satellite photos of the flood from the
Landsat 5 showing flooding from Blair to Plattsmouth to June 30. On July 9, the Corps of Engineers said water behind the reservoirs had peaked on July 2 with only 1.5 percent left for flood storage. By July 9, the available storage increased to 3.1 percent. Officials said they planned to begin decreasing the water flowing to the Gavins Point Dam but noted that the water going into Gavins Point would fill it in 1.5 days if the reservoir were empty. On July 11, the
Omaha World-Herald quoted
USGS researchers who are studying unique aspects of the flood. Among their discoveries: • the flood water which is predominately coming from behind dams is clear rather than the traditional
silt that gives the Missouri its
Big Muddy nickname; • the river normally flows at per hour but in the early days of the flood it was flowing at per hour • the river depth of the channel at Nebraska City is normally and, during high water, can be but during this event they recorded depths of . On July 13, OPPD said it had spent $26 million in June as a result of flooding affecting its power plants on the river ($20 million in work protecting its plants and $6 million in replacing lost generating capacity). OPPD has two coal-fired plants that are both larger than Fort Calhoun at Nebraska City. One of the rail lines providing coal was covered in water and the utility wanted to raise that track. The plants had been getting coal via a parallel line. In Omaha, after peaking at on July 2, 2011, the river was still more than above the flood stage of as of August 28.
Missouri , as the River reached a width of more than 5 miles on June 26. The line going across the water is the
BNSF rail line which is the main line for providing coal to Kansas City's giant
Iatan, Missouri, powerplant. BNSF raised the line 20 inches but it was still overtopped and is closed. On June 6, the Kansas City Corps of Engineers sent letters from its Real Estate Division to landowners along the river in northwest Missouri, telling them that through the
Water Resources Development Act of 1986 via the Missouri River Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project and Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Project that they were seeking willing sellers for land "for fish and wildlife habitat enhancements for aquatic species such as the
pallid sturgeon." The letters arrived just as the floods began hitting their peak in Atchison County and subsequently were heavily criticized by state and federal politicians. The Corps reported that only 14 letters had been sent.
Interstate 29 closed in early June from
Iowa Highway 2 (across the Missouri River from
Nebraska City, Nebraska) to
Rock Port, Missouri. The United States Coast Guard closed the river to boaters from Gavins Point Dam (Mile Post 850) to Mile Post 450 near
St. Joseph, Missouri. Residents of
Big Lake (which had evacuated during several floods including one in 2010) evacuated in May. On June 16, 2011, the community filed an injunction in
Holt County against
BNSF after the railroad elevated its line near the community by in preparation for the flood. Big Lake officials said the elevation would create a "bathtub" effect, trapping water in the community. On June 19 a levee in
Atchison County was breached and the levee protecting Big Lake was breached near
Corning, Missouri, at Mile Marker 550. The crest at Brownville at was the highest in the history of the river there (breaking the 1993 record). It prompted officials to close the two northernmost Missouri River bridges in the state, the
Brownville Bridge (
US 136) and the
Rulo Bridge (
US 159). The river had risen more than two feet in 24 hours in Atchison County. Officials said the surge in the river occurred when heavy rains in northern Iowa caused a major rise in the
Nishnabotna River, which enters the Missouri River in Atchison County near
Watson. On June 26 BNSF had to close its main rail line providing coal to Kansas City's
Iatan Powerplant (via Rulo) after the river widened in Holt County to nearly 5+ miles by Big Lake. On June 27
Terrible's St. Jo Frontier Casino riverboat casino closed. Levee toppings prompted the closure of
Lewis and Clark Village, Missouri. Residents of the Sugar Lake area of Buchanan County were also under voluntary evacuation orders On June 28
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in Holt County closed its tour route around its pools noting that it no longer control water levels in its pools and that it expects "critical habitat damage to our management areas including the moist soil units, wet prairie, and other priceless wildlife habitats and most habitats will be submerged." On June 28, the Corps ordered
Ameren to halt all outflows (including electrical generation) from
Bagnell Dam on the
Osage River until at least July 5. On June 29, officials at Missouri's largest coal-fired power plant at
Iatan, Missouri, sent 40 of its 135 employees home because of fears that the river would cut off its access on
Missouri Route 45. Employees were parking a mile from the plant being shuttled in. On June 30 the
St. Joseph News-Press reported that residents of Holt County had dubbed the flood "Corpstrina" (pronounced Kor-TRINA) evoking the Corps of Engineers which regulates the river and the
Hurricane Katrina disaster. On July 2 Amtrak announced that two miles (3 km) of track between Kansas City and St. Louis was flooded between
Myrick (west of
Lexington) and
Marshall. The railroad suspended the 311 and 316 trains of the
Missouri River Runner but continued to maintain other traffic via trains rerouted to the Sedalia subdivision. On July 3 a planned fireworks display in Richard Berkley Riverfront Park in Kansas City proceeded as planned and included the unveiling of a new lighting scheme on the
Christopher Bond Bridge (Mile 365). The crest at Kansas City of on July 2 was well below Kansas City's all time crest of in 1993. On July 4 St. Charles held its Riverfront fireworks display on the river—although moved back a block to Riverside Drive from Frontier Park. It had crested there on July 3 at —well below its crest of 40.11 in 1884 and in 1993. On July 6 a breach at Atchison County that had started on June 19 widened to .
Missouri National Guard Blackhawk helicopters were used to bring in 2,000 pound sand bags to reinforce the Sugar Tree levee in
Carroll County, Missouri, near Mile 300 at
Norborne after a third of the landside part of the levee slid. On July 11 the Coast Guard closed the river above
Glasgow, Missouri, at Mile 226 to navigation.
Kansas On June 22, Leavenworth closed
Sherman Army Airfield. On June 29 the levee was breached and water reached the hangars which had earlier been evacuated. On Jun 29 the
Elwood, Kansas, south bound exit ramp off the
Pony Express Bridge was closed temporarily to pump water which had accumulated from rains. Elwood is also underwent voluntary evacuations. 200 National Guard troops were deployed to Doniphan County to assist in the evacuation. 400 of Elwood's 1,200 residents voluntarily evacuated. The Amelia Earhart Bridge at Atchison had effectively closed on June 28. Closings of Missouri River bridges had been the result of flooding on the approaches and not the bridge itself. However, on June 29 photos began circulating that the low-lying Atchison Union Pacific rail bridge was close to water level. Union Pacific had embargoed its main rail line which goes between St. Joseph and Kansas City. On July 1 the Corps of Engineers reported that every non-federal levee from Rulo to
Wolcott, Kansas, in
Wyandotte County, Kansas, on both sides of the river were either overtopped or breached. Included in the overtoppings was
Kansas Department of Corrections land below the
Lansing Correctional Facility at
Lansing, Kansas. Another report indicated that the only overtopped federal levee was the one at
Fort Leavenworth by Sherman Army Airfield. ==Liability==