OMAHA — The political divide between Nebraska’s Democratic former first lady, Susanne Shore, and her husband, Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, a former two-term governor, has drawn attention for more than a decade.
People are also reading…
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, speaks at an election watch party along with his wife, Susanne Shore, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
Gov. Pete Ricketts’ wife, Susanne Shore, supported Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks in the 1st Congressional District race, while Ricketts supported Republican Mike Flood.
Lifesaving Nebraska flood heroes honored by Gov. Ricketts, first lady Susanne Shore
Mark Arps
Matthew Baker
Seven firefighters and volunteers in the Fremont and Cedar Bluffs area set out to rescue a stranded family by airboat, only to find themselves in great danger after their boats capsized and they were left in freezing and dangerous waters. Banding together, all men were rescued by helicopter.
Chief Todd Bernt
Fremont Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Brad Brown
A resident of Valley. He volunteered his airboat to take firemen to others in need of rescue. He also transported food and supplies to victims as well as feed to farm animals.
David Brown
Chief Deputy in Cuming County as well as a Nebraska rancher. When flooding struck, he assumed the role of county emergency manager and led successful evacuation and sandbagging missions.
Jeffery Caniglia
The Nebraska National Guard Air Crew and Coordinators carried out high-risk hoist rescues under extreme weather conditions to locate and extract seven emergency responders who had capsized.
Matthew Carter
Assistant chief of the Nickerson Volunteer Fire Department. One night, Carter assisted in saving a passenger who had been ejected from the airboat he was on. He then went on to make another rescue.
Mike Coyle
A member of the Mead Volunteer Fire Department. By volunteering his own equipment, he was able to perform several rescue missions for both citizens and fellow firefighters in Saunders County and surrounding counties.
Chief Steven Dolesh
Nickerson Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Nathan Dooley
The Nebraska National Guard Air Crew and Coordinators carried out high-risk hoist rescues under extreme weather conditions to locate and extract seven emergency responders who had capsized.
Andrew Elsberry
Resident of Pierce who assisted Pierce Fire and Rescue on the first day of flooding. By offering to use his own boat, Elsberry rescued 12 individuals over the course of several days. He also assisted the fire department with filling and placing sandbags to protect his community.
Brandon Evans
A member of the Ainsworth Volunteer Fire Department. Working with a fellow volunteer, Evans rescued a woman clinging to a tree after she had been pulled from her vehicle and swept downstream.
Chief Lance Ferris
Monroe Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Chief Brad Fiala
Ainsworth Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Chief Waylon Fischer
Nickerson Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Randy Fujan
Resident of Ames, Nebraska. When his subdivision was stranded without power and supplies, Fujan kayaked across a rapid channel to reach his airboat. He then used it to transport supplies to fellow distressed residents. In the following days, he used his airboat to transport individuals across the water so they could get to work and back.
Larry Geiger
A helicopter pilot from Lincoln. Using his helicopter, Geiger transported numerous people between Columbus and Fremont. While in the air, he also looked for others who had been stranded or designated as missing and reported their location to authorities so they could be found.
Matthew Gentrup
A member of the Nickerson Volunteer Fire Department. On the first night of flooding, Gentrup was thrown from a rescue boat after it collided with a telephone pole. He continued on that evening to complete his final rescue successfully.
Nathan Gillaspie
Works on a ranch near Spencer. Lowell Fisher called Gillaspie for help when his tractor had become stranded in swift-moving water. Gillaspie helped two other men navigate a boat through uncertain conditions to rescue Fisher from his tractor. When rain turned to snow, Gillaspie went on to assist in rescuing nine calves who had become stranded by the flooding.
Gary Greving
Nebraska Airboaters Association was essential to the success of numerous rescue missions across the state. All boaters gave their time and resources without expectation of reimbursement. Because of the Nebraska Airboaters Association, these individuals had the knowledge to operate their boats in adverse conditions.
Chief Travis Harlow
Nickerson Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Jim Hassenstab
A resident of Omaha and a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight Central, a group of pilots who volunteer their plane and time to transport people around the Midwest. When flooding isolated Fremont, Hassenstab offered to fly a women to see her dying mother free of charge.
Justin Herring
An airboater from Fremont who assisted with numerous rescues during the flooding.
Craig Hittner
Resident of Fremont. Craig and his wife, Hollie, the secretary and treasurer of the Nebraska Airboat Association, used their airboat to rescue individuals along the Platte River.
Hollie Hittner
Resident of Fremont. Hollie is the secretary and treasurer of the Nebraska Airboat Association. Her and her husband, Craig, used their airboat to rescue individuals along the Platte River.
Dillon Horejsi
Dillon and his father, Mark, saved a women, her 9-month old son and dog from floodwaters. They made several other rescues.
Mark Horejsi
Mark and his son, Dillon, saved a women, her 9-month old son and dog from floodwaters. They made several other rescues.
Michael Ireland Jr.
A resident of Fremont. He was a first responder, using an airboat to rescue individuals who had been stranded.
Logan Kahler
Seven firefighters and volunteers in the Fremont and Cedar Bluffs area set out to rescue a stranded family by airboat, only to find themselves in great danger after their boats capsized and they were left in freezing and dangerous waters. Banding together, all men were rescued by helicopter.
Kyle Kern
A resident of Cedar Bluffs. Kern used his business airboat to assist the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office in rescue missions in the Fremont and Valley area.
Jim Kjeldgaard
Orchestrated the Fremont airlift of supplies and people when all the roads to Fremont were under water. Jim remained at the airport nearly 24 hours a day. Nearly 100 planes carried hundreds of people and thousands of pounds of supplies.
Greg Kjeldgaard
Greg is the vice president of Fremont Aviation. Greg orchestrated the Fremont airlift of supplies and people when all the roads to Fremont were under water. Nearly 100 planes carried hundreds of people and thousands of pounds of supplies.
Zachary Klein
A firefighter in Fremont. When the flood struck his town, he stepped up and took leadership to make sure his community was taken care of. Klein planned meetings with FEMA, the Red Cross and is leading clean-up efforts.
Wayne Kreifels
Seven firefighters and volunteers in the Fremont and Cedar Bluffs area set out to rescue a stranded family by airboat, only to find themselves in great danger after their boats capsized and they were left in freezing and dangerous waters. Banding together, all men were rescued by helicopter.
Nir Levin
Owner of Nirbuilt Airboats in Ashland. When the flooding began, Levin worked alongside the Yutan, Waterloo and Mead Fire Departments to assist in rescue missions.
Chris Lichtenberg
Seven firefighters and volunteers in the Fremont and Cedar Bluffs area set out to rescue a stranded family by airboat, only to find themselves in great danger after their boats capsized and they were left in freezing and dangerous waters. Banding together, all men were rescued by helicopter.
Lawrence Lind
The Nebraska National Guard Air Crew and Coordinators carried out high-risk hoist rescues under extreme weather conditions to locate and extract seven emergency responders who had capsized.
Terry Martensen
Member of the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department. He responded to a night call stating a driver had been trapped inside her vehicle by floodwaters. By operating a town tractor, Martensen was able to rescue the driver quickly before the roadway washed away.
Chief Jim McBride
Lynch Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Chief Dusty Menking
Fire Chief of the Nickerson Volunteer Fire Department. He led several water rescues and evacuation missions to save farm families suffering from the flood. He also saved a man who had been thrown from an airboat during a rescue mission.
Randy Moses
Cedar Creek Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Austin Motacek
Assisted in the rescue mission of Lowell Fisher in Spencer. Motacek captained the boat that pulled Fisher from his tractor, and he jumped out of the boat to help safely guide it back to the water’s edge after the rescue.
Rudy Novacek
Member of the Nebraska Department of Transportation District 1 team. While guiding others to safety, Novacek saw a state trooper who was stranded in his pick-up. He immediately headed back into danger to help the trooper and led the entire group to safety.
Matt Prochaska
Resident of Schuyler. He worked hard to coordinate airboat rescues for community members. He also volunteered to help sandbag numerous homes and businesses.
Joshua Pryor
The Nebraska National Guard Air Crew and Coordinators carried out high-risk hoist rescues under extreme weather conditions to locate and extract seven emergency responders who had capsized.
Chief Nick Raver
Mead Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Cody Reynolds
A member of the Fremont Rural Fire Department. He acted quickly when the flooding began and continued to help flood victims for several days. He spent time traveling house to house to make sure all residents were able to get out safely and reach dry ground.
Autumn Rock
Resident of Gretna. She coordinated airboat rescues as well as incoming donations of hay and supplies from all over the country. She set up flood headquarters at Chance Ridge and worked to help farmers and ranchers clean up and care for animals once the flooding had subsided.
Joshua Schaaf
The Nebraska National Guard Air Crew and Coordinators carried out high-risk hoist rescues under extreme weather conditions to locate and extract seven emergency responders who had capsized.
Steve Scigo
A resident of Fremont who offered to use his personal 5-ton military vehicle to aid the rescue missions of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office. Working for 20 hours straight, he rescued residents from their homes as well as led seven horses to safety. He also used his vehicle to transport sandbags.
Chuck Stanczyk
Works as the Fullerton highway maintenance supervisor for the Nebraska Department of Transportation. He ventured into the Cedar River’s floodwaters with his pickup to remove a fallen power pole that had washed onto a highway and to rescue a motorist whose Jeep had run into the obstruction.
Brad Thavenet
Nebraska Task Force 1, an Urban Search and Rescue Task Force made up of highly trained emergency personnel from several cities across the state, are specially trained in water rescue and evacuated over 100 individuals.
Anthony Trotta
From Columbus, performed rescues by airboat in the aftermath of the floods.
Shane Varajcka
The Nebraska National Guard Air Crew and Coordinators carried out high-risk hoist rescues under extreme weather conditions to locate and extract seven emergency responders who had capsized.
Chief Mike Wiekhorst
Nickerson Fire Department. Firefighters across the state were pivotal to the rescue and recovery efforts during March's historic flood.
Family of James Wilke
Wilke, a Columbus farmer, lost his life after volunteering to help a driver stranded by floodwaters in Platte County.
Aaron Winberg
The Nebraska National Guard Air Crew and Coordinators carried out high-risk hoist rescues under extreme weather conditions to locate and extract seven emergency responders who had capsized.
Kim Wolfe
A helicopter pilot from Elkhorn. He flew 10 hours or more each day lifting people and pets from stranded homes. Wolfe also flew paramedics and medical supplies into Waterloo after floodwaters had isolated the town and volunteered to take law enforcement and members of the press up to survey the damage.
William Zoucha
A member of the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department. He answered the call to save a stranded driver and used a town tractor to reach her and pull her from her vehicle. When floodwaters receded the roadway was gone.
Others
Trent Kinney: Member of the Ainsworth Volunteer Fire Department. Working with a fellow volunteer, Kinney rescued a woman clinging to a tree after she had been pulled from her vehicle and swept downstream.
Brad Littrell: A resident of Fremont. He was one of the first responders rescuing stranded individuals by airboat in Fremont.
Daniel Quismondo: Volunteer fireman for the Valley Fire Department. While his own home was damaged, he spent hours making water rescues for fellow citizens in his community.
Chris Schlosser: Resides in Fontanelle. He proved his bravery when assisting in airboat rescue missions, showing selflessness in the way he treated flood victims.
Scott Selko: A banker and member of the Mead Volunteer Fire Department. While completing a rescue mission, Selko’s truck began to sink, meaning he was in need of rescue as well. Once an airboat rescued him, he immediately headed back out to evacuate more people. He continued this for six days straight, rarely resting to eat or sleep.
Kyle Wagner: Resident of Fremont. He completed several airboat rescues over the course of three days rescuing numerous people. Kyle showed dedication and bravery while protecting his community.
