Water damage in Bellevue
Bellevue is one of the oldest towns in Nebraska, and it shows in the housing. Near the old downtown and along the bluffs, there are older homes with block foundations and original plumbing. Farther west and south, toward Highway 370, most homes are newer, with poured basements, sump pits and finished lower levels.
Offutt Air Force Base sits on the east side of town, on low ground near the Missouri River. In March 2019, a levee broke near the base and floodwater covered about half of its runway. Most of Bellevue's neighborhoods sit higher than that, but the same storms that push the river up also fill sump pits and overwhelm floor drains across town.
The usual Bellevue calls are a failed sump pump during a spring storm, a water heater that gave out in the basement, a supply line under a sink, and pipes that froze in an outside wall during a January cold snap. Crews cover the 68005, 68123 and 68147 ZIP codes.