Gov. Jim Pillen on Tuesday asked President Donald Trump to approve a federal disaster declaration following a historic late‑September downpour that produced widespread flooding and infrastructure damage in eight eastern Nebraska counties.
What the request seeks
The governor’s request asks the Federal Emergency Management Agency for public assistance for Douglas, Fillmore, Lancaster, Saline, Sarpy, Saunders, Seward and Thayer counties. Pillen’s office says assessments already show more than $23 million in damage to public assets and that costs could rise as damage surveys continue.
- Reported public damage includes water‑control structures, roadways and bridges.
- Electrical distribution infrastructure, schools, public buildings and government equipment were also affected.
- Lancaster, Thayer and Saunders counties reported particularly large amounts of debris needing removal.
SBA disaster loan request for Douglas County
In a separate appeal, Pillen asked the U.S. Small Business Administration to declare Douglas County a disaster area for the purpose of making low‑interest recovery loans available to homeowners and businesses. State officials said at least 25 homes or commercial properties in Douglas County suffered damage from the event, with uninsured losses exceeding 40% of property value in some cases.
“I have asked President Trump, through a request submitted to FEMA, to consider the extent of damage resulting from this extraordinary flooding event and to grant a request for public assistance, which will help cover the costs that communities, counties and our Natural Resource Districts will incur through repairs and recovery,” Gov. Jim Pillen said.
The thunderstorms that triggered the flooding began the night of Sept. 30, producing record rainfall totals in parts of the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas and widespread inundation over subsequent days. Pillen’s office said rainfall was especially heavy in Lancaster and Douglas counties, where emergency responders reported dozens of water rescues; officials in Omaha logged about 80 water rescues related to the storms.
Next steps and potential aid
If FEMA approves public assistance, affected local governments and certain eligible private nonprofit organizations may receive federal funds to reimburse eligible emergency protective measures and repair or replace public infrastructure. An SBA disaster declaration would allow qualifying homeowners, renters and small businesses in Douglas County to apply for low‑interest disaster loans to help with repair and recovery costs.
Pillen’s office provided damage estimates and the formal requests to federal agencies as part of the process used to determine whether the scale of the event meets federal disaster thresholds. Federal approval would commit additional federal resources to repair efforts and could reduce the financial burden on county and local governments.
State and local officials continue compiling damage documentation to support the federal requests.
