Updated Mar 18, 2019 - Science

In photos: Staggering destruction from historic flooding in the Plains

Photo: Nebraska National Guard

Melting snow and heavy rain from the "Bomb Cyclone" in the Midwest has caused historic flooding from the Platte and Missouri rivers.

Why it matters: Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said it's the worst flooding the state has experienced in 50 years, with at least two flood-related fatalities this week. Dams have failed, levees breached and other infrastructure stripped away as raging floodwaters and chunks of ice move downstream.

The details: The floods have resulted from a series of events including an extremely cold winter that allowed a thick snowpack to pile up. Then the intense storm brought a sudden pulse of heavy rainfall and mild temperatures. The rain fell on impermeable, frozen ground, causing huge amounts of runoff into area rivers and streams that were choked with thick blocks of ice.

Before/after imagery of flooding near Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Image: NASA

Snowmelt seen from satellite on March 11 (left) and March 16 (right), during the period of the "Bomb Cyclone." Images: ESA Sentinel 2 via Simon Gascoin.

Photo: Nebraska National Guard.

Photo: Nebraska National Guard

Photo: Outfutt Air Force Base

Photo: Offutt Air Force Base

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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law

Media tycoon Jimmy Lai at the Next Digital offices in Hong Kong in June. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai has been arrested for "collusion with foreign powers" and the offices of his newspaper raided, said Mark Simon, an executive at the tycoon's media firm Next Digital on Monday.

Why it matters: He was arrested under the new national security law that gives Beijing more powers over the former British colony. Lai is the most prominent person arrested under the law — which prompted the U.S. to sanction Chinese officials, including Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, over Beijing's efforts to strip the territory of its autonomy.

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Why it matters: The findings in the report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association comes as schools and day cares look to reopen in the U.S., with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announcing Friday that school districts in the state can reopen in the fall amid lower coronavirus transmission rates.