Tornadoes flatten tiny rural Nebraska town; 2 dead
Source: AP-Excite
By JOSH FUNK
PILGER, Neb. (AP) — A storm packing rare dual tornadoes tore through a tiny farming town in northeast Nebraska, killing a motorist and a 5-year-old girl, leaving grain bins crumpled like discarded soda cans and flattening dozens of homes.
Pilger's 350 residents evacuated their homes after the powerful twisters slammed the area Monday afternoon. Nebraska State Patrol closed all roads into town.
"More than half of the town is gone — absolutely gone," Stanton County Commissioner Jerry Weatherholt said. "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."
Emergency crews and residents spent the evening sifting through demolished homes and businesses in the town about 80 miles northwest of Omaha. Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger estimated that 50 to 75 percent of Pilger was heavily damaged or destroyed and the school is likely beyond repair. "It's total devastation," Unger said.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140617/us-severe-weather-29f4b241b4.html
A woman walks down Black Hills Trail road in Pilger, Neb., Monday, June 16, 2014. At least one person is dead and at least 16 more are in critical condition after two massive tornadoes swept through northeast Nebraska on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark 'Storm' Farnik)
= new reply since forum marked as read
those two twisters together.
The people of Pilger must all be in shock. I lived through Sandy, but I can hardly imagine what it would be like to see half or more of the town destroyed.
Cher
Looks like a scene from "Day After Tomorrow" ...
Because it kept buffering on me.
But it appears people are driving into the storm, from what I could tell. Why, other than stormchasers, would anyone do that?
Cher
