Latest on flooding: Aug. 12

River drops: The Missouri River has dropped almost 2 feet where it passes the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station, according to the Omaha Public Power District. At the end of the week the river was at 1,005 feet, OPPD said. About 120 Fort Calhoun employees will move back into the administration building on Monday. The utility also has sent its plans for restarting the plant to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Levee watchers: With the Nebraska Army National Guard no longer watching Bellevue's levees, the Sarpy County Unified Command has contracted with volunteers from AmeriCorps and employees of Signal 88 Security for levee-watching duties. Command spokesman Phil Davidson said the new crews are patrolling from Haworth Park in Bellevue south to the confluence of the Papillion Creek and Missouri River, and then west past Highway 75 near Offutt Air Force Base. AmeriCorps volunteers are watching the levees during the day while Signal 88 takes the night shift.

Seeking details: All Pottawattamie County residents affected by the flood are encouraged to report damage that has occurred to private property from May 25 to now. Even if you can't physically inspect your property, report probable damage. The effort will help local and state officials who are gathering information as part of an appeal to the federal government for help under the Individual Assistance Program. Go to www.pottcounty.com and click on the "Damage Reporting Tool" link to report your damage. Residents without computer access can call 712-328-4672 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The federal government notified the state Aug. 5 that individual assistance for Pottawattamie, Fremont, Harrison, Monona and Woodbury Counties was denied. Gov. Terry Branstad on Friday asked federal officials for an extension until Nov. 15 to appeal that decision.

Bridge damage: Protective efforts aimed at slowing damage from floodwaters are having little effect at two Interstate 29 bridges near Hamburg. The Iowa Department of Transportation has poured rock along a scour hole to keep the river from washing out more of the embankment leading to the bridges. That doesn't appear to be working, the department reported Friday. Strong currents from the floodwaters are washing out the south approaches to the two bridges. The bridges are 1.4 miles north of the Iowa-Missouri border. They were built in 1972 and take I-29 over a drainage ditch. The stability of the bridges, not just the embankment, is threatened because the water has scoured out dirt from around the pilings that support the bridge.

More bridge damage: Roads officials hope that a detailed analysis of the flood-damaged Decatur bridge can begin by the end of August. That's when releases from Gavins Point Dam are projected to be 90,000 cubic feet per second, down from the high of 160,000 cfs. Substantial scouring has occurred to the embankment leading to the bridge, and there also are concerns about the structure. Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation, Nebraska Department of Roads, Federal Highway Administration and Burt County, Neb., met this week to discuss the eventual reopening of the toll bridge, which connects Iowa 175 to Nebraska 51 between Onawa, Iowa, and Decatur, Neb. The bridge is owned and operated by the Burt County Bridge Commission. It has been closed since June.

Garrison Dam: The public will soon have greater access to areas below Garrison Dam in North Dakota, now that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is easing releases from its dams. According to the corps, a road leading to the tailrace boat ramp, power plant and Garrison National Fish Hatchery will be reopened. People are being advised to use caution in the area because water levels remain high. The campground and downstream fish cleaning station will remain closed because of a broken water line. The recreation area at the spillway pond will remain closed because the bank has been eroded. The swim beach has washed away. These areas will be repaired and eventually reopened.

— World-Herald staff writer Nancy Gaarder, with the World-Herald News Service and the Associated Press