LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have sent a nearly unanimous message to federal officials who control the flow of the Missouri River: focus on preventing floods above all else. Lawmakers voted 43-1 on a resolution Thursday calling on Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make flood control their top priority. It was introduced by Sen. Julie Slama, of Peru, whose southeast Nebraska district was hit hard by last year's Missouri River flood.

"We can invest in infrastructure, we can give ten thousand dollars in a turnback for a town to rebuild their water treatment facility when it costs ten-million dollars..give ourselves a pat on the back, and go home for the day. But, at the end of the day, that same community is under the gun for another major flood for the next year. Until the Corps of Engineers prioritizes flood control, makes investments to update levee standards and starts taking our concerns seriously, it doesn't matter. Because the towns along the Missouri River will continued to be flooded, until something changes".

Slama has criticized the Corps, arguing that officials there haven't responded aggressively enough to the disaster. She said this past year's record flooding dealt an extensive economic blow to areas along the Missouri River. The closure of bridges from Omaha to St. Joseph greatly increased commute times across the region.

"Those impacted had to find alternative housing, leaving their family behind, often times...find a new job, or just deal with an eight-hour daily commute. Large parts of Interstate 29 were also closed for months, which meant that much of the traffic traveled instead on Highways 75 or 50 through my district...both of which were operating in excess of their design capacity, several times over. Businesses who depend upon traffic from Iowa and Missouri, either as towns with a Missouri River bridge like Brownville and Rulo, or providing a service that is not provided elsewhere in the region, saw drops in sales ranging from forty to seventy five percent, for months".

The resolution approved on Thursday is largely symbolic but is intended show that lawmakers view the issue as important.