(middle) Twisted Tracks . . . of the Rock Island trunk line south of Exira show how much wallop the flood waters packed. When the flood wall from the East Nishnabotna hit the track, it turned the rails upside down at several places. Railroad bridges along the route were almost completely destroyed. Residents of the area say they consider it unlikely that the road can ever be repaired. Highway 71, which paralleled the track, escaped with lesser damage. One span on a major bridge was swept away, however. The only link connecting Exira and Atlantic is a roundabout detour by way of county roads.

(bottom) Crumpled Bridge . . . between Portsmouth and Harlan on Highway 30 crosses Mosquito Creek. This span was out of the path of the main flood, but runoff was heavy enough to rock the foundation. Once the pier in the foreground gave way, the bridge was gone. Three other major bridges north of Highway 6 - plus an indetermined number south - were seriously damaged. Dozens of smaller bridges were washed away. If highway and bridge damage in the southern half of the flood area equals that in the north, the total could be nearly six million dollars.]]> Nishnabotna_1958_Flood_07_06_1958_002.jpg
Nishnabotna_1958_Flood_07_06_1958_003.jpg]]> Louise Filbert]]> Filbert_Norman_H_Jr_&_Louise_07_1978.01.jpg]]> 977.771
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