Last night, tornadoes tore across parts of central and eastern Nebraska. I visited Kearney earlier today and saw where the storm toppled power lines, ripped off roofs, and completely destroyed several buildings.
I saw that the storm had done something else, too: it led neighbors to help neighbors, friends to help friends...all in the spirit of cooperation and community that has lifted us out of every challenge we've faced before.
The Red Cross has raised its designation for this disaster from Level 1 to Level 3, which means that this is now a statewide disaster, with damage reported from Wellfleet to Omaha. National help is on the way.
Food and shelter will be provided by The Salvation Army at 1719 Central Avenue in Kearney.
Will you help our neighbors in need?
If you are willing to volunteer your time and have already been trained by the Red Cross, the organization asks that you report to the Red Cross Volunteer Center at 520 W. 48th St. in Kearney. The Center will be open at 10:00 AM tomorrow and is located just west of the Target and just north of the YMCA.
Volunteers who have not yet received Red Cross training will be asked to report to another location to be determined.
Local aid groups are not yet accepting donations of food or clothing. If you would like to donate canned food, dry goods or clothing, you can drop off items at any of our offices and we will deliver them for you.
You can also make a contribution to the Red Cross. To give blood, visit Redcross.org for more info.
You can follow the damage assessment and recovery efforts at the Kearney Hub.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by Thursday's tornadoes.
Thank you so much,
Scott