Gov. Pillen outlines Nebraska’s local, federal next steps following ‘war zone’ tornadoes

LINCOLN — Days after a wave of tornadoes hit Nebraska, Gov. Jim Pillen on Monday thanked neighbors for stepping up for one another alongside various local, state and federal supporters.

Pillen said that as of Monday morning, power had been restored to nearly every home in the most heavily affected parts of eastern Nebraska, including the Elkhorn, Bennington and Washington County areas. This excludes about 450 homes, the governor said, which do not have power because they’re totally destroyed.

“I don’t know that anybody can find the right words to use it, but it’s a war zone,” Pillen said of what he saw in Douglas and Washington Counties. “The longer it (the tornado) went, the bigger it got and the wider it was.”

Months of cleanup ahead

The governor said he has been on ground zero in both places — touring with local State Sens. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn and Ben Hansen of Blair, among other leaders. He said it was “extraordinarily sobering” to see areas that had been “totally obliterated.”

Pillen said he saw what was probably too many volunteers in Elkhorn but that it demonstrates Nebraskans’ willingness to help.

He said it will be a “long, long marathon” and “years before the scars are healed.”

“My assessment would be that it’s going to take every single weekend and every opportunity between now and the snow flying to be able to have a chance to get those communities cleaned up and be able to start rebuilding,” Pillen said.

Nebraskans who suffered damage should report such to their county emergency management agencies so the agency can keep track and document the issues, Pillen said. This will help Nebraska tap into state and federal resources as President Joe Biden and FEMA have offered federal support.

“This is not normal for Nebraskans to ask for help,” Pillen said. “If you don’t ask for help, we actually harm our neighbor because we need everybody to get to the level so that we can get the federal assistance.”

Security in affected areas

Those wishing to volunteer for recovery efforts should also contact local emergency management agencies to coordinate such help, Pillen said, also pointing to nonprofits and other local organizations that have stepped up their support.

“By the grace of God,” Pillen added, no Nebraskans were killed in the storm. However, officials confirmed Sunday the death of a western Iowa man injured in Friday’s storm when it hit Minden, Iowa.

Capt. Greg Miller of the Nebraska State Patrol said troopers are providing “around the clock” security in affected areas to ensure Nebraskans’ lives are not devastated further by property theft.

“We want to make sure that if you don’t have business in the area to please stay away,” Miller said.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced two looting-related arrests Sunday as it has also stepped up security in affected areas.

Damage assessments ongoing

Pillen said that he spent much of Sunday afternoon with Nebraska National Guard Adj. Gen. Craig Strong and that they have had conversations about whether to mobilize the Guard to assist with recovery of public property. As of Monday, Strong and Pillen were still assessing damages and had not reached a decision.

As far as preliminary assessments of those damages, Pillen said it’s still premature to say though it will be millions, at least. Four public hangars were destroyed at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, which Pillen said each cost about $1.5 million. 

Pillen said the damages will likely exceed available state resources, which he noted underscores a need for accurate assessments as Nebraska partners with FEMA.

The governor said he was busy both Saturday and Sunday and missed a phone call from President Joe Biden, who left a message that the federal government was “keeping a very close eye” on Nebraska and would do everything to help the state.

“Same way with the FEMA director, that I told her we were very grateful for their outreach,” Pillen said. “We Nebraskans are learning that we need to ask for help.”