The Midwest has been devastated by historic flooding this month, and the Nebraska Army and Air National Guard recently undertook Operation Prairie Hay Drop to ensure that stranded cattle are able to eat.
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter from Company B, 2-135th General Support Aviation Battalion, dropped 10 bales of hay in eastern Nebraska on Wednesday to assist a fifth-generation family farm that has been devastated by the flooding.
The cattle are stranded on what look like mini islands across the land.
Watch here:
@NENationalGuard used a CH-47 Chinook helicopter with Co. B, 2-135th General Support Aviation Battalion, to secure multiple bales of hay, March 20, 2019 and airdrop them to cattle isolated by historic flooding across the state. (Nebraska National Guard video by Spc.Crawford) pic.twitter.com/Qd5IcJnwCo
— NE National Guard (@NENationalGuard) March 21, 2019
Here is another video:
Both videos were done by Spc. Lisa Crawford.
“Today, the #NEGuard had the opportunity to provide some relief to a fifth-generation farm family whose farm was so devastated by the #NebraskaFlood, that you can barely tell there was ever farm land there to begin with,” the Nebraska Army and Air National Guard tweeted Wednesday.
Today, the #NEGuard had the opportunity to provide some relief to a fifth-generation farm family whose farm was so devastated by the #NebraskaFlood, that you can barely tell there was ever farm land there to begin with.
(1/3)#NebraskaStrong pic.twitter.com/wecEPK9UoH
— NE National Guard (@NENationalGuard) March 21, 2019
“Our @NEarmyguard Soldiers used a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from Co. B, 2-135th GSAB, to secure 10 bales of hay and airdrop them to cattle isolated by historic flooding across the state,” it continued.
Our @NEarmyguard Soldiers used a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from Co. B, 2-135th GSAB, to secure 10 bales of hay and airdrop them to cattle isolated by historic flooding across the state.
(2/3)#NebraskaStrong #NEGuard pic.twitter.com/L3a4LMqaCb
— NE National Guard (@NENationalGuard) March 21, 2019
“The #NEGuard has been supporting the ongoing response in Eastern Nebraska following massive flooding on the state’s river systems which began a week ago and caused catastrophic damage to the state’s infrastructure and agriculture,” the Nebraska Guard added.
The #NEGuard has been supporting the ongoing response in Eastern Nebraska following massive flooding on the state’s river systems which began a week ago and caused catastrophic damage to the state’s infrastructure and agriculture.
(3/3)#NebraskaFlood #NebraskaStrong pic.twitter.com/N4zQ2zu2Zx
— NE National Guard (@NENationalGuard) March 21, 2019
Flooding began on March 13 and has caused immense damage to Nebraska’s farmland, infrastructure and agriculture industry.
The Omaha-World Herald reported that the last aerial hay bale drop was in 1949, when there was a blizzard.
