US Midwest Flooding: Billions in damages after Missouri River overflows

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Flooding continues to be a big concern for residents of large stretches of the central US. The rising Missouri River, in particular, has already claimed at least three lives, destroyed hundreds of homes, and caused billions of dollars of damage. And weather experts warn the flood danger could persist into May. CGTN's Hendrik Sybrandy reports from Bellevue, Nebraska.

Like clockwork, as winter turns to spring in states like Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas, heavy rains send the Missouri River surging. But 2019 is shocking even long-time locals.

RICK HOWELL JOHNSON CO. KANSAS SHERIFF'S OFFICE "Every year we see a rise in the river level. This right here absolutely is historic. This is a new record level for us."

In Elwood, Kansas, that record came on Friday, Missouri stood at 32 feet or 9.8 meters. Only a levee fortified by sandbags now stands between the river and this community of 14-hundred people, most of whom have chosen to evacuate.

"Most of the town is empty at this point, including most of the businesses."

A lethal combination of rain, snowmelt and breaking ice jams upriver has already left an ugly mark on places like Bellevue, Nebraska.

Mark Morehead runs a recreational vehicle campground. He described what it was like a week and a half ago when residents here scrambled for their lives in the early morning hours.

MARK MOREHEAD BELLEVUE RESIDENT "The fastest I've ever seen the Missouri River rise. It was ungodly fast. No one got time to get anything out of here."

The damage in Nebraska alone has been immense. Some 2,000 homes and 340 businesses damaged or destroyed. Losses to property, livestock and crops, now estimated at $1.4 billion and that number is expected to go up.

HENDRIK SYBRANDY BELLEVUE, NEBRASKA "This is Paradise Lakes mobile home park. On a normal day, there's lots of activity here. It's a scenic place to live, just a stone's throw from the Missouri River. Now, it's a ghost town. Floodwaters have made this place uninhabitable."

This is what it looked like soon after the river engulfed this community. Many residents who left, we're told, don't plan to return.

DAN RICHARDSON BELLEVUE RESIDENT "There was water all the way up into their backyard. There was water all the way up to that truck there. It was pretty bad."

Although Elwood has been spared so far, the worry here is about Highway 36 which connects the town to the outside world.

JULIE MENG DONIPHAN CO. RESIDENT "The major thing that was the fear for everyone, is 36 going to be open. That was the fear, and that's when you get a lot of the calls. Is 36 still open? Is 36 still open? We heard that 36 is closed. That's the lifeline to a major medical center, to doctors, to major stores."

RICK HOWELL JOHNSON CO. KANSAS SHERIFF'S OFFICE "At this point, we're monitoring the river levels to see where they go, but we feel like we're out of the danger zone at this point."

People here in the Central U.S. have learned to live with the Missouri.

MARK MOREHEAD BELLEVUE RESIDENT "We got beat up pretty hard. You got to be a tough old river rat to want to come back, but I've done it for quite a few years."

But with a U.S. government weather agency now predicting the flood threat for millions of Americans will persist into May, this waterlogged region's troubles may not be over. Hendrik Sybrandy, CGTN, Bellevue, Nebraska.