ground and flood waters carried frozen sheets of ice several feet thick and longer than your average pickup truck swamping towns and farmland, cutting off access to farms, washing out roads, bridges and railways. The flooding drowned livestock, destroyed grains in storage bins, carried away vehicles, farm equipment and generational homes. On the Niobrara River, the damn in Spencer, Nebraska was breached and overcome by the rising river and sheets of ice that slammed their way through it, destroyed this damn. The river changed its course fanning out across the flood plain, and this land may never be the same as the water’s fury and the unfathomable destruction left in her wake is still visible through the open ranges, farmsteads and any community along its shoreline. And to the north and west part of South Dakota and western Nebraska they were fighting to unbury their livestock during calving season, sheep and horses buried in snow that had reached the level of roof tops. The ranchers and farmers battled to save their lively hood and the animals they care for. We have all by now seen the countless images and read the heartbreaking stories of the losses that so many have suffered around us. And in April, just a week ago as vTHROUGH THE LENS continued from page 30 I started writing this column for this issue of Her Voice, we received a spring blizzard once again dumping several feet of snow throughout happen to other people. But as the shock begins to wear off, we slowly South Dakota and several inches of snow with more rain and ice in our begin to realize that it is our turn “in the soup.” southeastern corner. We know there will be more rains to come on us In March we had a late-winter storm, with the western half of South 6”x48” planks with a lifetime stress-freehave just started our spring season and the flooding will reoccur as we warranty, Dakota and Nebraska receiving several feet of snow and the eastern and continue to all of life’s an already devastated area. designed to coordinate and snow melt that overwhelmed to stand up to wreak havoc on messes. with today’s décor and half of both states receiving rain our rivers and creeks. The rainwater was sent pouring over frozen vTHROUGH THE LENS continued on page 32 ©Floor Designs Copyrighted by Mannington Mills, Inc. ®©™Mannington Mills, Inc. 2016 BEAUTIFUL | DURABLE | FLOORS Designed for real life and built-to-last, Mannington® vinyl, laminate, hardwood, and Adura® vinyl floors are both beautiful and durable. Larsen Carpet Laminate | Porcelain | Resilient | Hardwood gton.com | 1.800.356.6787 Retailer Imprint 6”x48” planks with a lifetim designed to coordinate with today’s déco 208 Walnut|605.665.2067 Historic Downtown Yankton mannington.com | 1.800.356.6787 ©Floor Designs Copyrighted by Manning HERVOICEvMAY/JUNE 2019v31 Retailer Imprint Retailer