Omaha bringing in pumps to protect airport access

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Omaha prepared Wednesday to safeguard the main road to the city's airport as the Missouri River surged higher.

Public Works Director Bob Stubbe said Omaha has contracted a company to bring in up to 18 pumps to keep the water at bay. At least three were to be in place Wednesday on Abbott Drive to send floodwater over a levee protecting the airport and back into the bloated river, he said. The river courses down the north, east and south sides of the airport.

Stubbe said nine pumps would be operating along Abbott in the next few days, and the remaining pumps would be used elsewhere in the city.

The city also is working to handle a sewer pipe break that has sent water seeping into parking lots near the TD Ameritrade Park, the new home of the College World Series on the northern edge of downtown. Opening ceremonies are set for Friday evening and games begin Saturday.

"There was water coming up in the parking lot," Stubbe said.

Stubbe said crews were working Wednesday to determine how best to fix the break in the 180-inch sewer pipe, but it wasn't clear what caused the break or whether it would be fixed before the baseball series begins.

"If it's a repair that needs to be done on the inside, that would take a lot longer," Stubbe said.

Water also was pooling a few blocks away from the break. Stubbe said the city still was looking into the cause, although it appeared the pools were shrinking.

The Missouri River is rising because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is increasing the amount of water it releases from upstream reservoirs to deal with heavy rains and snowpack. The river is expected to crest above flood stage in Iowa and Nebraska later this week, but the water will remain high into fall.

On Wednesday, the river was measured at just above 33 feet in Omaha, which - like Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the river - is protected by a 40-foot tall main flood wall. The corps predicts the river eventually will surge to between 34 feet and 36 feet.

Stubbe said the city has requested 20 Nebraska National Guard members to help patrol its 13 miles of waterfront protection. It has yet to hear back on its request.

Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan said crews there worked Wednesday to remove two trees that had fallen on levees. He said the city has a full evacuation plan ready to implement but has yet to order any residents from their homes.

Hanafan, who spoke at a news conference with Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle and other officials, said the two cities are working well together to deal with the flood situation and offer each other support.

"This river is ours," Hanafan said. "It doesn't make a difference what side you live on - Nebraska or Iowa."