(KTNC) - Officials are assessing the extent of flooding in Richardson County this (Thursday) morning, after more heavy rains have swollen rivers throughout the region.
 The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for the Missouri River at Nebraska City, Brownville, and Rulo, as well as the Big Nemaha River at Falls City, the Little Nemaha River near Auburn, and the Nishnabotna River at Hamburg, Iowa.
 Richardson County Emergency Management Director Jim Gerweck was out surveying the flooding in the county this morning.
 He says the Big Nemaha River – where the stage was at 28.8-feet at 8:00 a.m. Thursday – was backing out of its banks and covering farmland and river bottomland faster than anticipated.  A National Weather Service Hydrologist says the Nemaha River likely crested late this morning, and Gerweck says it should drop fairly rapidly after it crests.
 The Missouri River level was at approximately 22.3-feet at Rulo Thursday morning.  It’s forecast to crest at 23.6-feet Friday morning and fall after that.  The Missouri River flood stage at Rulo is 17-feet.  The 23.6-foot level is two feet below the 25.6-foot crest in 1952, and about four-feet below the record flooding of 2011.
 When the rivers crest and flooding subsides depends on how much more rain falls.
 Gerweck says floodwaters were covering farmland and areas along the Nemaha River between Falls City and Rulo.  There was also flooding south of Falls City along the Nemaha River and north of Falls City near the Big Muddy River.  Gerweck says flooding was caused both by rising river levels and excessive rainfall.   Motorists are advised to not drive through areas where water covers the road.  
  The pictures with this story were taken Thursday morning south of Falls City from Highway 73 looking west and from Pony Creek Road looking north.  Picture 1 is Nemaha River; Picture 2 is looking north from Pony Creek Road; Picture 3 is the CGB site on south edge of Falls City; Picture 4 is a field on west side of Highway 73 and picture 5 is a westward view from the viaduct south of Falls City.