      Omaha Congressman Don Bacon says he’s been told by officials at Offutt Air Force Base that the cost of rebuilding from massive floods struck in March 2019 is going to be a lot higher than first thought.
The three-term Republican says the initial engineers’ estimate was $790-million dollars, but the latest projections are about $1.1-billion.
Lt Colonel Chris Conover, who is spearheading the recovery and reconstruction project, told the Omaha World-Herald he agrees the price tag will be higher than previously expected, but he declined to specify an amount.
Conover said the initial estimates were done quickly and with incomplete information about what the reconstruction would need to include. He also blames the COVID-19 pandemic for pushing up the costs.