FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY: Residents From Near Schuyler To Ashland Impacted, LFR's Water Rescue Team Deployed

A surge of floodwater from an ice jam break up on the Platte River has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood emergency from near Schuyler in Colfax County down to Ashland in Saunders County.

Randy Jensen of Waverly was heading back home from traveling for business and drove through Ashland when he spoke with KFOR News late Thursday morning.

“City Park is completely flooded,” Jensen said. “As far as I can see, probably about a quarter to eighth of a mile, there’s water through the city park and neighboring fields.”

When Jensen drove by the baseball and softball fields, he said there looked like there was two to three feet of water in the dugouts.

“The outfield fence, looks like it’s one of those four-foot chain-link fence, and the water looks like it’s almost to the top of the fence,” he said.

Jensen said when he was in Wahoo, there were city streets blocked off due to water (from the nearby Wahoo Creek).

The baseball and softball fields in Ashland under water from flooding along the Platte River on Thursday, March 14, 2019. (Photo Courtesy of Randy Jensen)

Upstream on the Platte, on the south end of Columbus, emergency crews in that area were having difficulty conducting a rescue from a nearby home.

That’s prompted nine members of Lincoln Fire and Rescue’s Water Rescue team to be deployed, according to LFR spoksperson Nancy Crist.

Crew members were being assembled around noon time Thursday.

Flood water on the east side of Ashland on Thursday, March 14, 2019. (Courtesy of Randy Jensen)

Highway 63 at Ashland Road on the northeast corner of Ashland covered by flood water. (Courtesy of Randy Jensen)

KFOR News will continue following these developments and have updates here on kfornow.com and our social media pages, in addition to our newscasts each half-hour through the day.

ALSO READ: Winter Storm, Flooding Lashes Nebraska.

Follow Jeff Motz on Twitter: @JeffMotzKFOR