Nebraska Floods

[OldEastRR]

Damn, those 1000 year floods seem to be coming every decade ... I was in Illinois in summer '93 when that one happened and they said it was a once in a lifetime event. I guess I've lived several lifetimes then. Going down to the flood area a year later (in '94) there was still lots of damage and wasteland still there.
The really bad thing that happens with these widespread floods is the water kills everything in the soil: worms, insects, bacteria, seeds, anything. It cuts off the air. It was sobering to see in '94 vast fields of blank dirt  -- in the Spring in Illinois!!! Sterile ground that couldn't grow anything, not even weeds. And a lot of that blank land had been farms.

[basementcalling]

Saw in a NYT article today that ranchers were hit at the absolute worst time of year as many calves were just born, and many are likely dead. Losses in the cattle industry alone could top $400 million, and that on top of weak commodity prices last year and fallout from trade sanctions on some crops. Sounds like very tough times coming for many in the farmland heartland.

[nkalanaga]

How do they keep the water out of the axle bearings, especially during some of the Midwest thunderstorms, where the rain falls sideways at 60 mph?

[Bryn]

http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2011/r11t0034/r11t0034.asp

The above link shows a break down of what's within a typical axle bearing assembly. Since the inner and outer race of the bearings are free to rotate it is difficult to fully seal them from water ingress.

If a small around of water enters the bearing it will not cause any major issues, sometimes evaporating back out through any gaps over time. Some bearings are greased on a planned cycle to push out any contaminants.

Having a bearing that size in use for long periods will always produce a little bit of heat, leading to expansion of the grease. So the air and any excessive grease will normally exit the rear seal towards the wheel pan. Not allowing the bearing to "breathe" will only increase the temperature, resulting in the grease failing.

In the UK, in a bearing is run though deep water it must have the end cap removed and inspected visually.

[learmoia]

How do they keep the water out of the axle bearings, especially during some of the Midwest thunderstorms, where the rain falls sideways at 60 mph?

Same concept as the inside of your vehicle.... Intermittent rain coming from the outside will not effect things inside, however submerging it.. water will eventually find it's way in.. and once inside, water has a hard time getting out.

~Ian

[Philip H]

These satellite images are pretty stark:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/03/19/satellite-images-show-devastating-floods-midwest/?utm_term=.12991da0003e&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

[MK]

Those are amazing images!  I heard on the radio here (NYC) that 70% of Nebraska is flooded!   

[Mark W]

Those are amazing images!  I heard on the radio here (NYC) that 70% of Nebraska is flooded!   

I think you heard that wrong.  70% of the whole state being flooded would be biblical event.   

You might have heard 74 cities and 65 counties have declared states of emergencies due to flooding. 


But look on the bright side, at least they're building a f***ing wall while we drown!   

[rodsup9000]

  Here in Leavenworth, (Ks) it was predicted last Sunday that we could get a record crest on the Mo river tomorrow, but several levees have been topped in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri since then and now there are saying that it will crest tomorrow at the 3rd highest on record (1993 record and then in 2011 was the 2nd ). So far just minor flooding in the low areas of town. 

 Keeping everybody affected in our prayers. 

[Mark W]

On a more positive note:

https://www.omaha.com/news/goodnews/after-the-flood-nebraska-buddies-find-an-indestructible-beer-fridge/article_14e87653-c6ff-5eee-bfae-1e2cc6d67618.html

[Point353]

I think you heard that wrong.  70% of the whole state being flooded would be biblical event.   
You might have heard 74 cities and 65 counties have declared states of emergencies due to flooding. 

Or, that 70 percent of the state is under a disaster declaration.

[C855B]

Tho' retired for five years, I'm feeling the stress and angst of my former co-workers at NDOR's traffic data management centers. They're the folks who run the systems that, among many other things, produces the public-accessible web map of road closures @Mark W linked to in his first post here. They have to be going nuts. I was the systems engineer for the previous iteration of this system, and vividly recall how overwhelmed the systems (and staff!) were during snowstorms and other severe events. This flooding is doubtless taking out dozens and dozens of sensor nodes, and keeping up with the network logistics alone as failures accrete has to be a nightmare.

Knowing what's behind it, however, the map itself is impressive, and demonstrates that the new system is apparently up to the task, as is the staff. Keep up the good work.

[nkalanaga]

Bryn:  Thank you.  I hadn't considered the effect of heat while in operation.

[MK]

I think you heard that wrong.  70% of the whole state being flooded would be biblical event.   

You might have heard 74 cities and 65 counties have declared states of emergencies due to flooding. 


But look on the bright side, at least they're building a f***ing wall while we drown!   

Or, that 70 percent of the state is under a disaster declaration.

That's probably it.  I did hear the number 70 on the broadcast while I was driving.

[x600]

the 70 that I heard on the news was 70 counties in Nebraska and Iowa were declared disaster areas.
Friends of ours near Lincoln moved last year, the house they moved out of was washed away.
Thoughts and prayers to everyone affected.

Greg O