Agricultural News
Nebraska Cattlemen's Pete McClymont Reports on Flood Devastation in Wake of Bomb Cyclone
Fri, 22 Mar 2019 14:52:55 CDT
Pete McClymont, executive vice president of the Nebraska Cattlemen joined National Cattlemen's Beef Association Senior Director of Policy Communications Ed Frank this week on the Beltway Beef Podcast to discuss the devastation across his state caused by rampant flooding that has resulted from a recent "bomb cyclone" that has significantly impacted beef producers there.
According to McClymont, the situation has been brewing since last fall when copious moisture saturated the state. That season was followed by one of the wettest winters McClymont can remember with large amounts of snowfall. For producers, he says it was probably the toughest winter in 35 years from a weather perspective.
"You couple all of that plus the bomb cyclone that started in the Rockies and worked into Nebraska - these weather systems hit and it was literally a perfect storm that created these conditions in probably 12 hours," McClymont said. "It's been truly devastating."
Early reports have estimated that total damage to Nebraska's cattle sector add up to roughly $400 million. McClymont says with significant damage done to infrastructure across the state that has taken many roads and bridges out of commission, that amount is growing by about $1 million each day. President Trump has approved a Disaster Declaration for the area, while locally 77 of the state's 93 counties are under declared emergencies. Vice President Mike Pence visited the state earlier this week and USDA Undersecretary Greg Ibach will fly in on Monday to tour the damage as well.
McClymont says that despite the difficulty, many producers are far better off than they could have been.
"Producers really did a great job knowing that this was coming," he said. "We always take these things seriously and a lot of people weren't affected because they were very proactive."
The Nebraska Cattlemen has set up a donation site for those that would like to contribute to the recovery efforts already in progress. To make your contribution to the Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund or for more information, visit https://nebraskacattlemen.org/
Listen to this week's full podcast with guest Pete McClymont of the Nebraska Cattlemen, by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...