Two United States nuclear power plants are on alert and President Obama has declared emergencies in Nebraska's counties where the two nuclear stations are both experiencing "unusual events." The official emergency declarations apply to both counties where the nuclear facilities are threatened with flood waters. Red Cross closed its emergency shelter at Fort Calhoun, home of one of the nuclear facilities, and is now referring and transitioning evacuees to other shelters. Red Cross is due to assess Fort Calhoun when conditions permit.

"Massive flooding along the Missouri River has put Nebraska's two nuclear plants, both near Omaha, on alert,"  reported Amy Goodman for The Guardian on Wednesday.   Obama declared an emergency in Nebraska and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the area affected by flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is now authorized to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance in the counties included in the declaration.    Cooper Nuclear Station near Brownville, Nebraska missed shutting down its reactor by only 18 inches on Monday and is now only three inches from closing. Reportedly, due to the rising Missouri River, Cooper Nuclear Station declared a "notification of unusual event" according to officials who said this is standard procedure and that flood barricades and protections are holding.  (See: http://www.wmrn.com/pages/nationalnews.html?feed=104668&article=8727028#ixzz1PyFgZOKw) The designation was made Sunday when the river reached 42.5 feet, or 899 feet above sea level, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

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