Teh One Who Knocks
06-17-2014, 10:31 AM
FOX News and The Associated Press
http://i.imgur.com/Ea1HKST.jpg
Residents of the northeast Nebraska town of Pilger were bracing to begin a massive cleanup operation Tuesday after a tornado swept through the area, killing a 5-year-old and injuring 19 others while demolishing more than half the town's structures.
The Stanton County Sheriff's Office confirmed the child's death late Monday. Its gender and other identifying information was not released.
The National Weather Service said two twisters touched down within roughly a mile of each other. Emergency crews and residents spent the evening sorting through demolished homes and businesses in the town of about 350, roughly 100 miles northwest of Omaha.
Authorities said the first tornado touched down around 3:45 p.m. and downed several power lines before it leveled a farmhouse.
Then a second tornado was spotted southwest of Pilger, according to the Stanton County Sheriff's Office. Shortly afterward, the town suffered a "direct hit" that leveled several buildings, including the Fire Department building.
"More than half of the town is gone -- absolutely gone," Stanton County Commissioner Jerry Weatherholt told the Associated Press. "The co-op is gone, the grain bins are gone, and it looks like almost every house in town has some damage. It's a complete mess."
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard was preparing to deploy to assist local emergency responders and help with the cleanup. Heineman and officials with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency were expected to arrive Tuesday morning.
Pilger was evacuated for the night, and the Nebraska State Patrol closed all roads into town. The sheriff's office said residents would gather at a staging area around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, where law enforcement would then escort them back into town.
Victims were taken to three regional hospitals, with 16 critically injured patients going to Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk. Hospital spokeswoman Jodi Richey said that the child had died from unspecified injuries.
Providence Medical Center in nearby Wayne treated three tornado patients, including two who had lacerations, hospital spokeswoman Sandy Bartling told the Associated Press. Two were released Monday evening, and the third patient was in stable condition, she said.
Stanton County emergency manager Sandy Goshorn told Fox News that the damage to the town of Pilger is "extensive." He said in some areas everything is gone, even the trees. Goshorn also said officials are dealing with two hazardous material situations involving storage facilities for fuel, grains and corn. He said corn from the facilities is covering the town.
Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger estimated that 50 to 75 percent of Pilger was heavily damaged or destroyed in the storm. The local school is likely beyond repair, he said.
"It's total devastation," Unger said.
Unger said five people had to be rescued from a rural home day care northwest of Stanton. That home was hit just before the storm moved into Pilger.
Weatherholt said that the southern half of the town was completely leveled, and almost all of the town sustained damage.
Most residents made their own arrangements, but some were taken to a shelter at Wisner-Pilger Jr.-Sr. High School in nearby Wisner. About a dozen residents had arrived at the makeshift shelter by 9:30 p.m., and school officials were expecting more to come later, said Wisner-Pilger Schools Superintendent Chad Boyer. The shelter will remain open to residents for as long as needed to offer food, water, showers and cots, he said.
"I just have to use one word -- devastation," Boyer said by phone from inside the school. "It's a tremendous loss all around the town. Certainly, our thoughts and prayers are with the community.
He said Wisner-Pilger Middle School, located in Pilsner, was heavily damaged by the tornado, but he hadn't seen it up close.
Officials won't know the intensity of the storms until late Tuesday at the earliest, after crews have examined the area, said Barbara Mayes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley.
Mayes said the dual tornadoes were unusual because both appeared to have roughly the same strength. In most cases, she said, one tornado tends to be larger and more powerful than the other, and the bigger cyclone grows stronger as the smaller one weakens.
"It's less common for two tornadoes to track together for so long, especially with that same intensity," she said. "By no means is it unprecedented. But we don't see it often."
http://i.imgur.com/Ea1HKST.jpg
Residents of the northeast Nebraska town of Pilger were bracing to begin a massive cleanup operation Tuesday after a tornado swept through the area, killing a 5-year-old and injuring 19 others while demolishing more than half the town's structures.
The Stanton County Sheriff's Office confirmed the child's death late Monday. Its gender and other identifying information was not released.
The National Weather Service said two twisters touched down within roughly a mile of each other. Emergency crews and residents spent the evening sorting through demolished homes and businesses in the town of about 350, roughly 100 miles northwest of Omaha.
Authorities said the first tornado touched down around 3:45 p.m. and downed several power lines before it leveled a farmhouse.
Then a second tornado was spotted southwest of Pilger, according to the Stanton County Sheriff's Office. Shortly afterward, the town suffered a "direct hit" that leveled several buildings, including the Fire Department building.
"More than half of the town is gone -- absolutely gone," Stanton County Commissioner Jerry Weatherholt told the Associated Press. "The co-op is gone, the grain bins are gone, and it looks like almost every house in town has some damage. It's a complete mess."
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard was preparing to deploy to assist local emergency responders and help with the cleanup. Heineman and officials with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency were expected to arrive Tuesday morning.
Pilger was evacuated for the night, and the Nebraska State Patrol closed all roads into town. The sheriff's office said residents would gather at a staging area around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, where law enforcement would then escort them back into town.
Victims were taken to three regional hospitals, with 16 critically injured patients going to Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk. Hospital spokeswoman Jodi Richey said that the child had died from unspecified injuries.
Providence Medical Center in nearby Wayne treated three tornado patients, including two who had lacerations, hospital spokeswoman Sandy Bartling told the Associated Press. Two were released Monday evening, and the third patient was in stable condition, she said.
Stanton County emergency manager Sandy Goshorn told Fox News that the damage to the town of Pilger is "extensive." He said in some areas everything is gone, even the trees. Goshorn also said officials are dealing with two hazardous material situations involving storage facilities for fuel, grains and corn. He said corn from the facilities is covering the town.
Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger estimated that 50 to 75 percent of Pilger was heavily damaged or destroyed in the storm. The local school is likely beyond repair, he said.
"It's total devastation," Unger said.
Unger said five people had to be rescued from a rural home day care northwest of Stanton. That home was hit just before the storm moved into Pilger.
Weatherholt said that the southern half of the town was completely leveled, and almost all of the town sustained damage.
Most residents made their own arrangements, but some were taken to a shelter at Wisner-Pilger Jr.-Sr. High School in nearby Wisner. About a dozen residents had arrived at the makeshift shelter by 9:30 p.m., and school officials were expecting more to come later, said Wisner-Pilger Schools Superintendent Chad Boyer. The shelter will remain open to residents for as long as needed to offer food, water, showers and cots, he said.
"I just have to use one word -- devastation," Boyer said by phone from inside the school. "It's a tremendous loss all around the town. Certainly, our thoughts and prayers are with the community.
He said Wisner-Pilger Middle School, located in Pilsner, was heavily damaged by the tornado, but he hadn't seen it up close.
Officials won't know the intensity of the storms until late Tuesday at the earliest, after crews have examined the area, said Barbara Mayes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley.
Mayes said the dual tornadoes were unusual because both appeared to have roughly the same strength. In most cases, she said, one tornado tends to be larger and more powerful than the other, and the bigger cyclone grows stronger as the smaller one weakens.
"It's less common for two tornadoes to track together for so long, especially with that same intensity," she said. "By no means is it unprecedented. But we don't see it often."