1950 — May 8-9, Downbursts and Flash Floods and Flooding, Southeast Nebraska — 23

 

–23  History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, May 8, 1950. Flash Floods in Nebraska.

–23  Lincoln Journal Star. “12 of the deadliest disasters in Nebraska history.” 6-15-2017.

–23  Pearson (Hydrologist, WFO Omaha). Top 5 Nebraska Floods. “The Floods of 1950.”

–23  USGS. Floods of May-July 1950 in Southeastern Nebraska. 1953, p. 351.

–22  AP. “Flood’s Death Toll Increases. Total Now 22.” Beatrice Daily Sun, 5-11-1950, p. 1.

—  0  NCEI, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Search results all counties in NE, May 8-9, 1950.

 

–2  Big Blue River basin flooding. Auto swept from hwy between Beatrice & Wilber. (USGS. 358)

–7  Little Nemaha River flooding near Unadilla. (USGS, p. 356.)

–7  Little Nemaha River flooding elsewhere than Unadilla area. (USGS, p. 358.)

–6  Salt Creek flooding. (USGS, p. 353.)

–1  Weeping Water Creek flooding (life lost at Union). (USGS, p. 358.)

 

–1  Cass County. Union. Tom Aikens, 38.[1]

–3  Gage County, Beatrice, Highway 77, May 8.[2]

–1  Forrest Kitch. Drowned after car caught up in flood water, near Svoboda car.

–1  Harold McCall. Drowned after car caught up in flood water, near Svoboda car.

–1  Mrs. Lola S. Svoboda. Drowned after car was swept away by flood waters.

–6  Lancaster County, Salt Creek bottoms about 7 miles south of Lincoln.[3]

–1  Charles Beach. His trailer washed away by Salt Creek floodwater; missing.[4]

–2  Mr. and Mrs. Archie M. Smith of Pender; their auto was caught up by floodwater.

–1  John S. Wagner of Lincoln; auto he was in caught up in floodwater.[5]

–1  Mrs. John S. Wagner of Lincoln; in same auto as husband; missing, presumed dead.

–1  Theodore, Weiss, 34; boy found a mile away from his car.

–1  Nemaha Co., Auburn. Dorothy Krause, 22, of Lincoln; in car swept off hwy near Auburn.[6]

–6  Otoe County.

–2  Dunbar area. Car washed from road. Robert Henner, 5, brother Ronald, 3-months.[7]

–1  Syracuse. Walter Adams, ~50; drowned outside home during rescue attempt.[8]

–3  Unadilla area, Burlington bus swept away by flood water.

–1  Mrs. Ina Hahn, Shenandoah, IA, a passenger.[9]

–1  Berneda Meyer, about 25, of Lincoln, a passenger.[10]

–1  Jerry Robert Williams, a passenger.[11]

 

Narrative Information

 

History.com: “In Nebraska on this day in 1950, a flood caused by 14 inches of rain kills 23 people. Most of the victims drowned after being trapped in their vehicles by flash flooding.

 

“In southeastern Nebraska, cornfields dominate the landscape. It is the rainiest region of the state, getting approximately 35 inches annually. The spring and summer of 1950 far exceeded that total. The deadly flash flooding was part of a series of floods to hit the area near Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Big Blue River feeds into the Kansas River, between May and July of that year because of a spate of thunderstorm activity.

 

“Despite the deadly floods, the rain totals in Nebraska that day did not approach national or world records for most rainfall in one day. The 14 inches that fell in southeastern Nebraska on May 8 paled next to the 43 inches that fell in Alvin, Texas, on a single day in 1979, the United States record, and the 73 inches received by Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean in 1952….”   History.com.  This Day in History, Disaster, May 8, 1950. “Flash Floods in Nebraska Kill 23.”)

 

Lincoln Journal Star, 2017: “Floods of 1950, 25 deaths. Nebraska State Historical Society, May 15, 2017. Four floods from May to July of 1950 caused 25 deaths, according to a National Weather Service report.

 

“The flood of May 8-9 was the worst, with 23 deaths and 60,000 acres of land under water. The Little Nemaha River, Salt Creek, Weeping Water Creek and tributaries of the Big Blue River ere over their banks….” (Lincoln Journal Star. “12 of the deadliest disasters in Nebraska history.” 6-15-2017.)

 

USGS: “Four floods occurred in southeast Nebraska during the period of May to July 1950. Two of these were the greatest known in the State if the size of the drainage areas is considered…

 

“Each of the floods was caused by heavy precipitation, which at times reached intensities seldom recorded in the Missouri River basin. On May 8, 1950, more than 14 inches of rain fell over certain areas of the Little Nemaha River basin within a period of a few hours….

 

“Heavy precipitation over the southeastern corner of Nebraska starting on the afternoon of May 8, 1950, caused the first of a series of floods that extended through June and July. The flood of May 8-9 caused the loss of 23 lives, it inundated more than 60, 000 acres of land, and when estimates of damages to land and agriculture are included, it caused property damage in excess of 60 million dollars. This first storm was centered over the headwaters of Little Nemaha River and Salt Creek, but heavy precipitation also caused floods of varying degrees of intensity along Weeping Water Creek, Nemaha River, and tributaries of the Big Blue River….

 

“Late in the afternoon of May 8, heavy rain began falling over the southeastern part of Nebraska, and extremely heavy rain fell over an area that included the headwaters of Little Nemaha River, Salt Creek, and Weeping Water Creek, and over parts of the basins of the Big Blue River and Nemaha River… The center of precipitation was a little east of the divide between Salt Creek and Little Nemaha River.

 

“Salt Creek crested at the gaging station at Lincoln, Nebr., at 9 a. m. on May 9. It inundated large areas of the low-lying bridges, highways, and railways. Upstream from Lincoln agricultural lands were damaged considerably. Eleven thousand acres and three towns were flooded, and six lives were lost in the Salt Creek flood….

 

“The crest discharge of Salt Creek at the Lincoln gaging station was 27,800 cfs. It is well established that the 1950 flood is the greatest since July, 1908. Because of many channel changes during the interim, largely man-made for flood protection, there is no direct means of comparing the 1908 and 1950 floods. On July 5, 1908, Adna Dobson, then Lincoln city engineer, made a current-meter measurement of 18,000 cfs “near the crest.” Many years later a firm of consulting engineers computed the maximum discharge of the 1908 flood as 30,600 cfs. These computations were based on valley slopes and cross sections by the U. S. Department of Agriculture in 1909 and upon coefficients of roughness that are not subject to verification. It seems quite possible that the flood of May 9, 1950, may have exceeded that of July 5, 1908, which would make it the largest since the valley was first inhabited….

 

“The most intense flows from the storm of May 8-9 developed in the Little Nemaha River basin. The river crested at Unadilla about midnight of May 8, covering the flood plain to depths of nearly 10 ft. … Several farm homes and bridges were destroyed in this vicinity. About a mile east of Unadilla a bus was trapped by the rapidly rising waters. …[A] 17,500-pound vehicle was swept from the highway and carried two miles to be deposited in the river channel near Syracuse. The lives of 7 persons were claimed by this misfortune. Between Unadilla and Syracuse, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad line was torn up, bridges were washed out, and sheds and machinery were swept away from low-lying farms….

 

“The flood crest of the Little Nemaha River reached Syracuse about 1 a. m. , May 9. In the low areas of town, residences were moved from their foundations and broken against other buildings and trees. The flood plain here is more than a mile wide, and after the flood it was littered with stock tanks, grain bins, windmills, household furnishings, fragments of buildings, bridges, and other destroyed property. A computation of discharge by contracted-opening and flow-over-embankment methods indicated a discharge at Syracuse of 225,000 cfs from a drainage area cf 218 square miles.

 

“The flood crest reached Auburn at about 7 a.m. May 9. Between Syracuse and Auburn it swept over valuable farmlands and inundated the village of Brock. Damage to bridges, highways… railroads, and farm property was particularly heavy.

 

“In the Little Nemaha River basin, a total of 35, 000 acres and 8 towns were flooded, and 14 lives were lost including the 7 previously mentioned as lost near Unadilla.

 

“Weeping Water Creek crested early on May 9. The villages of Weeping Water and Nehawka were badly flooded, highways and railroads were damaged, and crops on the lowlands were destroyed. At Union, several residences were completely destroyed, the yards of the Missouri Pacific Railroad were damaged and several trestles washed out. One life was lost at Union. The crest discharge at Weeping Water was 30, 300 cfs, and at Union it was 60,300 cfs, which is mo re than twice as large as the highest previously known flood of June 1947.

 

“In the Big Blue River basin principal damage occurred when Turkey Creek inundated the village of DeWitt. Every house in the community of 500 people was flooded, the only dry area being a spot on the main street big enough to park the fire truck. The crest discharge of Turkey Creek on May 9 was determined by the slope-area method to be 21,400 cfs. Flooding was not severe on the main stem of the Big Blue River. About 8 miles of railroad track was washed out on the Lincoln-Beatrice line of the Union Pacific, and the basements of 17 homes in Beatrice were flooded. Two lives were lost when an automobile was swept from a highway between Beatrice and Wilber….” (USGS 1953, pp. 351-352, 356, 358.)

 

Newspapers

 

May 9, AP: “Flash floods growing out of torrential rains took at least four lives in southeast Nebraska today. At least two dozen persons were missing — most of them motorists whose cars were caught by walls of water. Accounts of tremendous damage to farms and property were coupled with weird tales of terror and rescue. The dead:

 

Robert Henner, 5, and his brother, Ronald, three months old, of Dunbar, Neb.

Walter Adams, about 50, Syracuse, Neb.

Tom Aikens, 38, of Union.

 

(AP. “Floods Take Lives of at Least Four.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE. 5-9-1950, p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Eleven Bodies Now Found, Six Are Still Undiscovered.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 5-10-1950, p. 1. Accessed 7-14-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-may-10-1950-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Find Bodies of 3 Beatricians.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 5-10-1950, p. 1. Accessed 7-14-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-may-10-1950-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Flood’s Death Toll Increases. Total Now 22.” Beatrice Daily Sun, 5-11-1950, p. 1. Accessed 7-14-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-may-11-1950-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Floods Take Lives of at Least Four. About 12 People Missing; All in SE Nebraska.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE. 5-9-1950, p. 1. Accessed 7-14-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-may-09-1950-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “General Pick to Check on the Flood Situation.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 5-12-1950, p. 1. Accessed 7-14-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beatrice-daily-sun-may-12-1950-p-1/?tag

 

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, May 8, 1950. “Flash Floods in Nebraska Kill 23.”  Accessed 12-7-2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=05/08&categoryId=disaster

 

Lincoln Journal Star. “12 of the deadliest disasters in Nebraska history.” 6-15-2017. Accessed 7-3-2017 at: http://journalstar.com/blogs/photofiles/of-the-deadliest-disasters-in-nebraska-history/collection_6ae50d55-7d8a-5b6f-b1c3-b0b54cfe84f0.html#8

 

National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Search results all counties in NE, May 8-9, 1950. Accessed 7-14-2017 at: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=ALL&beginDate_mm=05&beginDate_dd=08&beginDate_yyyy=1950&endDate_mm=05&endDate_dd=09&endDate_yyyy=1950&county=ALL&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=31%2CNEBRASKA

 

Pearson, David (Senior Service Hydrologist, WFO Omaha). Top 5 Nebraska Floods. “The Floods of 1950.” National Weather Service, Weather Forecast Office, Omaha. Accessed 7-14-2017 at: https://www.weather.gov/media/gld/1935flood/pdf/Top5NebraskaFloods_for_HQ.pdf

 

U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division. Floods of May-July 1950 in Southeastern Nebraska (Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1137-D). Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1953, 69 pages. Accessed 7-14-2017 at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/1137d/report.pdf

 

[1] Associated Press. “Floods Take Lives of at Least Four.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE. 5-9-1950, p. 1.

[2] Associated Press. “Find Bodies of 3 Beatricians.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 5-10-1950, p. 1.

[3] Associated Press. “Flood’s Death Toll Increases. Total Now 22.” Beatrice Daily Sun, 5-11-1950, p. 1.

[4] Associated Press. “Flood’s Death Toll Increases. Total Now 22.” Beatrice Daily Sun, 5-11-1950, p. 1. Notes his trailer chassis was found a mile down stream, as well as some of his possessions. Presumed drowned.

[5] Notes: “A search continued for the body of Mrs. Wagner.”

[6] Associated Press. “Flood’s Death Toll Increases. Total Now 22.” Beatrice Daily Sun, 5-11-1950, p. 1.

[7] Associated Press. “Floods Take Lives of at Least Four.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE. 5-9-1950, p. 1. In car with parents, when it stalled at Wilson Creek, while they were on way home from Dunbar, and car washed off the road. “The parents removed the children by breaking the glass as water swept down on them. The mother took one child, the father the other. For three hours, in the pitch dark of night, the parents held on to their children. Finally they reached a railroad grade. Then the grade itself started to wash away under them. The parents lost the children. An hour later the parents finally were able to reach town. Bodies of the children were found this morning.”

[8] Associated Press. “Floods Take Lives of at Least Four.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE. 5-9-1950, p. 1. Notes that the railroad section boss’s “…home was one of an estimated 60 that felt the lash of the little Nemaha river’s assault at Syracuse. Adams was caught outside his home. Firemen tried to throw him a rope to save him from the waters climbing around him. Some of the firemen themselves had to take shelter in a tree where they spent four hours. Adams’ body was found after daybreak this morning…”

[9] Assoc. Press. “Eleven Bodies Now Found, Six Are Still Undiscovered.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 5-10-1950, p. 1.

[10] Assoc. Press. “Eleven Bodies Now Found, Six Are Still Undiscovered.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 5-10-1950, p. 1. Paper notes her body was found about eight miles away from the bus.

[11] Associated Press. “General Pick to Check on the Flood Situation.” Beatrice Daily Sun, NE, 5-12-1950, p. 1. Suitcase found several days later. Article notes that “The manager of a St. Joseph, MO., hotel reported a man by that name boarded a bus there Monday afternoon [May 8], for Lincoln.”