)
Main street south
)
Historical Bldg/Post Office
)
Butch clearing his shop driveway. Hazel's car is under snow on right.
)
Fire Station, Olson Garage
The rain started Wednesday afternoon February 28th more like a mist but as the evening cooled down, the trees started to crackle and small limbs came down. Streets were coated with a thin glaze of ice but most highways had been salted in preparation for the freezing rain.
Click on photo to enlarge
)
Gilson Energy Service, Historical Building
)
Nemaha Park
)
Hazel's Car
)
Nemaha Web Design, Opera House
The next morning, Thurdsay March 2, 2007, the predicted snow got serious around 9:00 am. It came down at the rate of an inch or more per hour. It you stepped outside for a few minutes, your head and shoulders were instantly covered. The wind hadn't started to blow so the snow had a chance to pile up on roofs and vehicles making a wet blanket of 6-8 inches.
Click on photo to enlarge
)
Nemaha Post Office
)
Nemaha Main Street, North side)
Nemaha Main Street, South side
By Thursday afternoon the wind started picking up and had a lot of wet, heavy snow to work with. There were periods of sustained 40 mph winds which could pick up and move around a lot of snow. Facing the wind while walking was difficult with the snow painfully slapping against exposed skin. Nemaha still had electricity and for that we were thankful. A lot of counties in Iowa weren't so lucky and some isolated areas had been without lights since an ice storm covered the state the weekend before.
Click on photo to enlarge
)
Ken and Dave working together
)
Opera House
)
Ken
)
Nemaha Web Design, Opera House
The wind howled all night building huge drifts in some areas of town, to say nothing about what the country must look like. By daylight on Friday the streets were impassable with enough drifts to stop even 4-wheel drive pickups. The post office had closed on Thurday noon and was not expected to be open today at all. There would be no mail truck bringing mail in nor taking any out.
Click on photo to enlarge
)
Rick clearing Historical Building sidewalk
)
Dave Cook clearing Main
Street - March 3, 2007
)
Ken Severson clearing alley - March 3, 2007
)
Rick Gilson clearing Main Street - March 3, 2007
By Daylight on Friday, the road grader had made a double-path down main street and a single pass on most of the side streets. Then the volunteer tractors and endloader started their work. Their first project was to open the entrance to the fire station. No one made it to Hazel's for morning coffee even though she was ready. They would have had to wade through hip-deep snow just to get to the door even if they could have gotten a vehicle down mainstreet which was doubtful. But it wasn't long before the volunteers had the parking and sidewalk cleared and a little afternoon traffic was again seen on Main street. The Mill stayed closed all day.
The town was without electricity for 2 1/2 hours about mid-day which put a scare in those of us who knew parts of Iowa had been without electricity for a week already. But Mid-American was in town within an hour from the first call and had power restored in no time. Dealing with a blizzard is a lot easier if we have heat, running water, and lights. Temperatures stayed around freezing or a little below.
Click on photo to enlarge
)
Ken Severson clearing Main Street - March 3, 2007
)
4th Street South - drift across street
)
4th Street South - drift
)
4th Street South - drift
By Saturday, March 3rd, 2007, the postmistress opened for business. The mail truck would be late but was on its way to town so at least there will be mail to be sorted for Monday pickup and any outgoing mail (except local rural routes) would be on its way. The sun came out but it is still too cold for any melting to begin. There are still many highways blocked in Sac County with drifts too large for any push-type snow plows while they wait for large snowblowers to open a path. School was prepared for the predicted storm and was closed Thursday and Friday so no children or buses were stranded.
Click on photo to enlarge
)
North side of Main Street looking east
)
Tunnel through drift by Olson's
)
Hazel's Car, see antenna!
)
Hazel's Car
)
A fast thaw caused the Raccoon river to raise.
This is the view from D15 looking south
taken 3/13/07.
)
This is not the worst flood of the Raccoon. This is the view from D15 looking north.
)
A 6-8 inch rain overnight May 5, 2007 caused the
Raccoon River to raise once again. View is south
from D15 bridge.
)
The heavy rain May 5-6, 2007 caused many flooded
fields and roads. View of Perkins Ave. south of Klint
Hatch's house - taken 3/13/07. Note red warning flags.
)
View from the stop sign east of Early at M50, May 6, 2007
)
Early Drive In is not open yet but there was water right up to their door, May 6, 2007.