A powerful storm with tornadoes ripped through northeast Nebraska on Monday, destroying more than half of the tiny town of Pilger, killing a five-year-old child and injuring at least 19 people, hospital and emergency officials said.
The National Weather Service said dual twisters touched down within 1.6km of each other. Emergency crews and residents spent the evening sorting through demolished homes and businesses in the community of about 350, about 160km northwest of Omaha.
“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.”
Photo: Reuters
Victims were taken to three regional hospitals and at least one had died from unspecified injuries, hospital officials said.
Jodi Richey, a spokeswoman for Faith Regional Health Services in nearby Norfolk, said one person died and 16 others were being treated at the hospital.
Hospital officials initially described those patients as being in critical condition, but later said that some had been released after treatment.
The Stanton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed late on Monday that the person killed was a five-year-old child. It did not specify the child’s gender.
One was transferred to a trauma center in Omaha, while others required surgery, said Doug Dilly, who was in the emergency room when patients arrived.
Providence Medical Center in nearby Wayne treated three tornado patients, including two who had lacerations, hospital spokeswoman Sandy Bartling said.
Two were released on Monday evening, and the third patient was in stable condition, Bartling added.
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.
Authorities said the first tornado touched down about 3:45pm and downed several power lines before it leveled a farmhouse. Four people were trapped inside.
While local crews removed them from the debris, a second tornado was spotted southwest of Pilger, the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office said.
Shortly afterward, the town suffered a “direct hit” that leveled several buildings, including the Fire Department building, the sheriff’s office said. Several people near Main Street in Pilger suffered critical injuries, including the child who later died.
Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard was preparing to assist local emergency responders and help with the cleanup.
Tornadoes also caused damage in Cuming and Wayne counties, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said in a news release.
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