Governor tours storm-damaged towns
WOOD RIVER — Her friends found the photographs floating on the muddy waters of her flooded basement. Melissa Woitalewicz had kept the photos as a memorial to her late husband, Kenneth, who died more than a year ago after trying to save an elderly woman from a fire. Maybe it was only natural then that when Gov. Dave Heineman knocked on her door, she would greet him with tears in her eyes.
"We've lost so much," she told the governor, who stopped at her Wood River home on Canal Street Thursday as part of a day-long tour to assess the storm damage in south-central Nebraska.
She said water came pouring into a basement wall of her new home like "someone had turned on an irrigation well."
Heineman, who celebrated his 57th birthday Thursday, hugged and consoled Woitalewicz and promised her help.
"It was a very emotional and difficult experience for her and the firefighters that were there to help," he later said in an interview on a flight back to Lincoln.
On Thursday night, the governor declared a state of emergency in Adams and Hall counties. Other counties affected by Wednesday's storms would be added as damage is assessed, his office said in a press release.
Heineman had earlier said that York, Seward and Hamilton counties could also be included in the declaration, which paves the way for funds to help communities pay for damage to roads, lighting and other public infrastructure.
Loren Uden, emergency management director for the town of Hastings and Adams County, said the damage in his area alone could range from $2 million to $5 million. Heineman said it may be weeks before a total damage figure is available.
No deaths and only one injury were reported from the storm. The driver of a semi truck blown over on U.S. 81 in York County was taken to a hospital for treatment, the National Weather Service said.
The Wednesday night storm dumped about 7 inches of rain in Wood River, filling up fields, ditches and streets. More than 11 inches of rain fell in Kenesaw and about 7.2 inches fell in Grand Island, setting an all-time record for a 24-hour period.
In Hastings, golf-ball- to tennis-ball-size hail shattered windows in downtown buildings, schools and houses on the east side of the city. The hail storm left dozens of cars with broken windows and dented metal. At one point, city crews used a front-end loader to remove piles of hail in a flooded underpass. About 33 people stayed at a Red Cross shelter at the City Auditorium overnight.
In Grand Island, heavy rains flooded parks, ditches and several businesses, including the Golden Corral restaurant. "We dodged a bullet," Grand Island Mayor Jay Vavricek told reporters at a press conference at City Hall.
About 20 people spent Wednesday night at a makeshift Red Cross shelter, said Grand Island City Administrator Gary Greer, who expressed concern about the capacity of the city's sewer system.
The flood waters wiped out a bridge at Eagle Scout Park and flooded streets and intersections. Vavricek credited the Wood River Diversion Project, a water project that funnels flood waters away from the city to nearby Wood River, for preventing a lot of damage.
In Wood River, a tornado may have severely damaged three homes, according to Wood River Mayor John Webster. The town was also hit hard by hail and heavy rains which flooded streets and surrounding fields. Webster said 100 percent of the homes sustained some type of storm damage.
Gene and Wanda Monson of Wood River were watching the 10 p.m. television news Wednesday when a tree limb struck their Wood River house, tearing a gaping hole in their roof above the bathroom.
"It was like a waterfall in there," said their son, Mike, who tried later to repair the hole with friends.
More than 10 inches of rain fell in Kenesaw, about 20 miles south of Wood River. The water closed roads and flooded at least one-third of the town. Grown-ups and kids filled sandbags next to the fire station and hauled them to flooded homes on all-terrain vehicles and trailers.
"We're trying to keep as much water as we can from running into the basements through windows," said Kenesaw Assistant Fire Chief Ted Stade.
With so much standing water, Kenesaw officials were considering shutting off the town's electricity for public safety. Sightseers also were becoming a problem. The governor planned to send in teams of state health and environmental officials to help the community with any water quality or debris-disposal problems.
Many storm victims feared that more rain was on the way.
However, the weather service forecast called for partly cloudy skies with a 20 percent chance of rain showers today. The weekend forecast called for mostly sunny skies with highs in the mid-60s on Saturday and low-70s on Sunday.
Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.
"We've lost so much," she told the governor, who stopped at her Wood River home on Canal Street Thursday as part of a day-long tour to assess the storm damage in south-central Nebraska.
She said water came pouring into a basement wall of her new home like "someone had turned on an irrigation well."
Heineman, who celebrated his 57th birthday Thursday, hugged and consoled Woitalewicz and promised her help.
"It was a very emotional and difficult experience for her and the firefighters that were there to help," he later said in an interview on a flight back to Lincoln.
On Thursday night, the governor declared a state of emergency in Adams and Hall counties. Other counties affected by Wednesday's storms would be added as damage is assessed, his office said in a press release.
Heineman had earlier said that York, Seward and Hamilton counties could also be included in the declaration, which paves the way for funds to help communities pay for damage to roads, lighting and other public infrastructure.
Loren Uden, emergency management director for the town of Hastings and Adams County, said the damage in his area alone could range from $2 million to $5 million. Heineman said it may be weeks before a total damage figure is available.
No deaths and only one injury were reported from the storm. The driver of a semi truck blown over on U.S. 81 in York County was taken to a hospital for treatment, the National Weather Service said.
The Wednesday night storm dumped about 7 inches of rain in Wood River, filling up fields, ditches and streets. More than 11 inches of rain fell in Kenesaw and about 7.2 inches fell in Grand Island, setting an all-time record for a 24-hour period.
In Hastings, golf-ball- to tennis-ball-size hail shattered windows in downtown buildings, schools and houses on the east side of the city. The hail storm left dozens of cars with broken windows and dented metal. At one point, city crews used a front-end loader to remove piles of hail in a flooded underpass. About 33 people stayed at a Red Cross shelter at the City Auditorium overnight.
In Grand Island, heavy rains flooded parks, ditches and several businesses, including the Golden Corral restaurant. "We dodged a bullet," Grand Island Mayor Jay Vavricek told reporters at a press conference at City Hall.
About 20 people spent Wednesday night at a makeshift Red Cross shelter, said Grand Island City Administrator Gary Greer, who expressed concern about the capacity of the city's sewer system.
The flood waters wiped out a bridge at Eagle Scout Park and flooded streets and intersections. Vavricek credited the Wood River Diversion Project, a water project that funnels flood waters away from the city to nearby Wood River, for preventing a lot of damage.
In Wood River, a tornado may have severely damaged three homes, according to Wood River Mayor John Webster. The town was also hit hard by hail and heavy rains which flooded streets and surrounding fields. Webster said 100 percent of the homes sustained some type of storm damage.
Gene and Wanda Monson of Wood River were watching the 10 p.m. television news Wednesday when a tree limb struck their Wood River house, tearing a gaping hole in their roof above the bathroom.
"It was like a waterfall in there," said their son, Mike, who tried later to repair the hole with friends.
More than 10 inches of rain fell in Kenesaw, about 20 miles south of Wood River. The water closed roads and flooded at least one-third of the town. Grown-ups and kids filled sandbags next to the fire station and hauled them to flooded homes on all-terrain vehicles and trailers.
"We're trying to keep as much water as we can from running into the basements through windows," said Kenesaw Assistant Fire Chief Ted Stade.
With so much standing water, Kenesaw officials were considering shutting off the town's electricity for public safety. Sightseers also were becoming a problem. The governor planned to send in teams of state health and environmental officials to help the community with any water quality or debris-disposal problems.
Many storm victims feared that more rain was on the way.
However, the weather service forecast called for partly cloudy skies with a 20 percent chance of rain showers today. The weekend forecast called for mostly sunny skies with highs in the mid-60s on Saturday and low-70s on Sunday.
Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.
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