Reflection on Tragedy

A few statistics for those of you who don't know about the flooding in the Midwest........

NEBRASKA:

Officials say recent flooding in parts of Nebraska has caused nearly $1.4 billion in estimated losses and damage.

Gov. Pete Ricketts said Wednesday that roads, levees and other infrastructure have sustained an estimated $449 million in damage.

Ricketts says more than 2,000 homes and 341 businesses have been damaged or destroyed in the flood. The damage to private homes and businesses has reached $85 million so far, while farmers have experienced an estimated $400 million in cattle losses and $440 million in crop losses.

The governor says 74 of Nebraska's 93 counties and 85 of its cities are in a declared state of emergency.

IOWA:

The hit to Iowa's economy from flooding will reach $2 billion as farmers struggle with damaged grain, massive cleanup, and impassable roads and bridges to fields and livestock.

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation says the losses to farmers along the flooded Missouri River — and potentially the Mississippi River this spring — will ripple throughout the economy, driving the state's projected $1.6 billion in damages higher.

"When we look at the crop losses, the lost economic activity, it quickly climbs above $2 billion," said Sam Funk, Farm Bureau's senior economist.
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