Governor & Lt. Governor Tour Storm Damage

(Kearney, Neb.- Photos ) Gov. Dave Heineman and Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy toured the central Nebraska communities of Kearney and Aurora today following severe weather that unleashed numerous tornados in several Midwestern states last night.

Gov. Heineman said, “I commend everyone with the city of Kearney and Buffalo County. Their response has been extraordinary. There is still a lot of clean up in the days ahead but I’m confident from what I’ve seen today that we have the situation well in hand.”

The Governor has declared a state of emergency, which allowed state and federal resources to help respond to local recovery efforts. There are 25 Nebraska Army National Guard personnel from the 1195th Transportation Company were activated last night to help with clean up in Kearney and another 25 personnel from the 1074th Transportation Company will arrive today. Twelve additional Guard personnel are working with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to compile damage reports.

In the Buffalo and Hamilton Counties, damage reports so far include about a dozen homes outside Aurora with major damage, another 21 homes and businesses with some damage. Five people were transported to the Aurora hospital for minor injuries last night after their vehicles blew over in the storm, all of whom were treated and released.

In Kearney, storms destroyed the Expo Building at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds, an apartment building in town lost its roof with the complex’s clubhouse sustaining damage as well, and many mature trees in Dryden Park were uprooted.

A section of Interstate 80 near Aurora was closed last night due to a downed transmission line, but re-opened shortly before 4 a.m. today. Several creeks and rivers in eastern Nebraska are at flood stage today and emergency managers will be monitoring throughout the weekend.

Lt. Gov. Sheehy, Nebraska’s homeland security director, said, “One resident I met today had a grain bin that had been 200 yards away now sitting on top of his house. His family rode out the storm at home but walked away.

“I give a lot of credit to the city administration and emergency managers here in Aurora and throughout our central region in particular. They were in good communication as the storms rolled in and after they passed, worked quickly to get a handle on the situation. They said they understood how vital the planning and training exercises we do are and why we’ve put an emphasis on developing mutual aid agreements and regional communications networks during the past several years. They play a key role in responding to a situation like this and I think in this situation, our preparation has paid off.”

Near Columbus, residents of Platte Center have returned to their homes after evacuating last evening due to flooding from Elm and Shell Creeks. Preliminary reports are that 10 businesses and several houses have water damage. U.S. Hwy. 81 south of town remains closed due to flooding and local officials have asked that residents not sightsee so that area roads can be kept clear for emergency personnel.

Ron Asche, president of Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) was in the area today and reported that many transmission lines down are over roads following the storm. An estimated 4,000 customers were still without power, but NPPD expects to have power restored for most residents and businesses tomorrow night.

Gov. Heineman said, “While the debris and clean up will be an inconvenience for area residents, we can be very grateful we didn’t see any loss of life or more serious injuries. This has already been a very active storm season for the Midwest, but so far Nebraska hasn’t had near the magnitude of storms that our neighbors have.”

FEMA officials will arrive in Columbus, Kearney and Lincoln early next week to compile damage reports for federal assistance.

Gov. Heineman said, “It’s possible that after this latest batch of storms, up to two-thirds of all Nebraska counties will be part of the disaster declaration we submit for federal review.”