The Platte River at Grand Island was at 6.1 feet Wednesday morning, with flood stage at 6.5 feet, according to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.

According to the National Weather Service in Hastings, at 5.87 feet, water ponds around the Quality Inn at the junction of Interstate 80 and Highway 281; at 6.22 feet, water approaches property at 14570 S. 190th Road; at 7 feet, a few farmsteads may be threatened by overflows, but the city is not threatened by floodwaters; at 7.4 feet, minor flood fighting or sandbagging will occur in Hamilton County.

In light of flooding concerns, the Grand Island/Hall County Emergency Management Department has received a number of public inquiries about where sandbags can be purchased, said Wendy Meyer-Jerke, public information officer for the city.

So the department has begun to compile a list of local vendors who can supply sandbags to residents, Meyer-Jerke said.

She said residents who are experiencing groundwater or floodwater issues and need sandbags can call the Emergency Management Department at 385-5360 to get a list of local vendors. In addition, local vendors that provide sandbags are encouraged to be added to the list by calling the same number.

According to NEMA, Platte River levels on Wednesday were 6.22 feet in Kearney, with flood stage at 6 feet, and 7.43 feet at North Platte, with flood stage at 6 feet.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency reported that approximately 110,000 acres of land were affected by floodwaters in Nebraska as of Wednesday morning. Approximately 66,000 acres of that total is agricultural land.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office, reported that below-normal temperatures have slowed crop development, rains have delayed field work, and flooding along the Missouri and Platte rivers has raised concerns about crops in low-lying fields.

Earlier this week, heavy rain, hail, strong winds and tornadoes damaged center pivots and flooded farm fields, along with other property damage throughout Central Nebraska. Those storms produced rainfall amounts of 1.96 inches at Ord, 1.41 inches at Greeley, 1.66 inches at Loup City and 1.02 inches at Aurora.

Grand Island has escaped much of the heavy rain and remains about 1.6 inches below average precipitation for the month, though 2.88 inches above average for the year due to the heavy rains in May.

No precipitation is in the forecast for Grand Island until the weekend, when there's a 30 percent chance for thunderstorms and showers, starting Friday night. Today's temperatures will be in the upper 70s, with highs in the low to mid-80s through the weekend.

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., invited Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate to Nebraska to explain how FEMA will provide aid to individuals and communities impacted by the Missouri River floods.

Nelson, along with U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., and senators from other states impacted by the Missouri River flooding met with Fugate in Washington, D.C.

Nelson said there was discussion about FEMA setting June 1 as the formal date of a flood in progress. By law, individuals must have bought flood insurance 30 days before the start of a flood to be able to file claims for damages.

"Some of my colleagues are concerned that is an arbitrary date, and it's something FEMA needs to provide more information about," Nelson said. He called the June 1 date "problematic."

Nelson said FEMA officials said the date was determined by examining flooding occurring on land around the Garrison Dam in North Dakota.

"However, FEMA assures us they'll look at all the flood damage on an individual basis to determine the exact cause of any potential damage," he said.

President Obama has signed an emergency declaration for areas in Nebraska affected by flooding.

Gov. Dave Heineman submitted a formal request to Obama last week for a disaster declaration in response to flooding along the Missouri River and Platte River systems.

Heineman's request includes damage that began on May 24. Affected counties along the Platte River include Garden, Lincoln, Morrill and Scotts Bluff. Counties along the Missouri River include Boyd, Burt, Cass, Cedar, Dakota, Dixon, Douglas, Knox, Nemaha, Otoe, Richardson, Sarpy, Thurston and Washington.

Under the emergency declaration, the federal government would pay 75 percent of allowable expenses, and 25 percent would be paid by state and local governments.