South Dakota sending crews to help clear snow from Nebraska roads

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – South Dakota is lending a helping hand to Nebraska by sending crews to assist in clearing snow from roads.

In a press release Monday, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency provided an update on the roads that were affected by a winter storm last week.

Gov. Jim Pillen declared a state of emergency on Saturday.

Nebraska then sought assistance from South Dakota through the Emergency Management Compact.

South Dakota is now sending two truck-mounted blowers and two loader blowers, along with crew support, to supplement the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

The help from South Dakota is expected to arrive on Monday.

“The partnership with South Dakota through the EMAC will allow us to attack those sections of highway that remain closed at this time,” Gov. Jim Pillen said in the release. “We appreciate the assistance from South Dakota as well as the coordinated efforts of our state and local agencies. They have been working around-the-clock to ensure public safety, while mitigating the impact to our farmers, ranchers and businesses, as much as possible.”

Officials said state crews have spent 35,000 hours clearing roads over the last week.  Some shifts have lasted over 16 hours.

“NDOT has been all-hands-on-deck 24/7 for a week now, bringing in equipment and people from other areas of the state,” said Vicki Kramer, NDOT director, in the release. “I thank each and every one of them for their dedication and selflessness, as well as our partners in Nebraska’s local governments and from South Dakota, for their coordination and support.”

Updated road conditions can be found on Nebraska 511.