Governor Jim Pillen has activated the Nebraska National Guard to help with neighborhood security in areas devastated by last week’s tornado outbreak.
Douglas County has asked for help from the guard, but at least for now only in Elkhorn.
Pillen says about two dozen Nebraska National Guard members could be in place as early as Wednesday evening helping deter looting and managing heavy vehicle traffic around neighborhoods where homes have been damaged and destroyed.
Meanwhile, the Nebraska Broadcasters Association has given $25,000 to the United Way of the Midlands Nebraska & Iowa Tornado Relief Fund.
NBA Board Chair Shannon Booth of Gray Media Group says the money will “will stay local and benefit our neighbors and friends in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa as they begin to rebuild their lives.”
Booth adds that “Our hearts ache for the families directly in the path of the devastating storms (because) local broadcasters care deeply about the communities we serve.”
The National Weather Service says the biggest and strongest of the tornadoes was the one that hit Elkhorn before moving into Washington County.
It’s been classified as an EF-3 tornado with 165 mph peak winds, just under the limit of an EF-4 rating, and had a maximum width of 1,600 yards or 9-10ths of a mile. It was on the ground for nearly an hour and traveled 31 miles in Nebraska and Iowa.
Pillen says Nebraska remains in contact with federal partners, including FEMA, for additional assistance. Damage estimates are still being tallied, but the storms destroyed about 450 Nebraska homes.