President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration Friday as the Nebraska National Guard continued to assist with security in the parts of the Omaha area hit in the Arbor Day tornado outbreak.
Biden granted a major disaster declaration for Nebraska on Friday, which will allow for the release of federal funds to help communities recover from the tornadoes. The declaration came after a request by Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and a letter from Nebraska’s congressional delegation.
Assistance will include cost-sharing funds, which will help in the removal of debris and emergency protective measures and reimbursement for repairs to public infrastructure and property, according to a press release from Pillen’s office. Individual assistance to renters, homeowners and business owners who have sustained losses will also be available.
Nebraska National Guard assisting
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The Nebraska National Guard is assisting law enforcement in Douglas County in providing patrol support and checkpoints at entrances to affected neighborhoods, officials said during a press conference.
Brig. Gen. Gary Roper said around 80 Army National Guard and Air National Guard members, who are all volunteers, were deployed Friday in Douglas County. He said they were also working with Washington County officials to assess need there.
Richard Lowley, captain of the uniform services bureau at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said law enforcement established checkpoints in the Bennington Lake, Woodland Crossing and Calarosa neighborhoods of Elkhorn and Bennington.
At the checkpoints, National Guard members and law enforcement officers are stopping vehicles to ensure people live in the neighborhood or can prove they are a volunteer or contractor helping in the area, Lowley said.
“We’re asking people who live in these areas to please be patient,” Lowley said. “We’re just doing our very best to keep everybody safe.”
The Nebraska State Patrol is also assisting local law enforcement in the affected areas, Capt. Greg Miller said.
Arrests made of alleged would-be looters
Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson said the Sheriff’s Office has made some arrests in connection with looting in affected neighborhoods, but the presence of law enforcement has helped prevent further issues.
“I think that’s a testament to how proactive from the very first day all of these agencies have been to keep that problem contained and keep the troublemakers out of that area,” he said.
Those who sustained damage or losses in Douglas and Washington Counties can apply for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, calling 800-621-3362 or through the Federal Emergency Management Agency mobile app.
FEMA staff will be visiting affected neighborhoods in the coming days to assess damage and provide information to affected individuals, the release said.
Pottawattamie County in Iowa to host Multi-Agency Resources Center
A Multi-Agency Resources Center will be held for Pottawattamie County, Iowa, this weekend according to the American Red Cross.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Minden United Church of Christ, 106 Lincoln St. in Minden.
“The Red Cross will be present to help residents plan their next steps of recovery,” according to the organization.
The Red Cross said volunteers are distributing emergency relief supplies to help residents with cleanup efforts, including rakes, shovels, trash bags, work gloves and cleaning supplies. As of Friday afternoon, nearly 3,000 items have been distributed to more than 525 households.
More than 450 meal kits have also been delivered to help families, the organization said.
“While the current focus is on addressing the immediate needs of those affected, the Red Cross also plays a critical role in helping families and communities recover in the weeks and months after a disaster,” the organization said in a press release.
National Weather Service reports 19 tornadoes
After completing storm damage surveys, the National Weather Service said 19 tornadoes touched down in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during the storm, including five rated EF3.
Only two of the 19 tornadoes from the Arbor Day Outbreak struck Douglas County. Both were rated as EF3, or severe, on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which measures tornado strength by wind speed and damage on the ground on a scale of EF0 to EF5.
The outbreak was the strongest to hit the area since June 2014, when an EF3 tornado hit Coleridge, Nebraska, and multiple EF4 tornadoes caused extensive damage to Pilger, according to the weather service.
The tornado that caused extensive damage to Elkhorn, Bennington, Blair and other parts of rural Douglas and Washington Counties first touched down 3:30 p.m. on April 26, according to a damage assessment of the outbreak. The EF3 tornado reached peak wind speeds of 165 mph and had a maximum width of 1 mile.
The tornado stayed on the ground for nearly 45 minutes, dissipating southwest of Modale, Iowa, at 4:29 p.m. The path of destruction was more than 31 miles long.
Another EF3 tornado with peak wind speeds of 152 mph developed at 4:58 p.m. at Eppley Airfield, destroying parts of the general aviation hangars but sparing the passenger terminal. The tornado crossed the Missouri River into Pottawattamie County, Iowa, before dissipating at 5:27 p.m. near the Pottawattamie-Harrison County line. It stayed on the ground for 16 miles and had a maximum width of 516 yards.
The only recorded death from the tornado outbreak occurred in Minden, Iowa, after a nearly mile-wide EF3 tornado tore through multiple counties and towns. The tornado was on the ground for more than an hour, had peak wind speeds of 160 mph, and left a nearly 41-mile path of destruction.
According to the weather service, the tornadoes were on the ground for a combined six hours. The maximum wind speed was 165 mph, which was recorded in the tornado that caused destruction in Elkhorn and Blair.
Track maps and additional information about each of the 19 tornadoes can be found at weather.gov/oax/april262024.
World-Herald staff writer Molly Ashford contributed to this report.