Nebraska tornadoes: Group says number of cleanup volunteers is shrinking
Omaha Rapid Response looking for helpers as recovery work continues
ELKHORN, Neb. (WOWT) - Elkhorn resident James Wiggins remembers coming home to “chaos” in his neighborhood on April 26 after the tornado blew through.
He said the very next day, Omaha Rapid Response arrived, helping get items out of his home, cleaning up the yard, and bringing his family water.
“Saving us a lot of time and hassle because it’s like a lot that needs to be done,” Wiggins said.
The nonprofit group said it has teams in Bennington, Blair, Elkhorn, and Waterloo who are helping clean up debris, putting tarps on roofs, and cutting trees.
“Last week, there was hundreds and hundreds of volunteers,” team leader Lenny Boylan said.
However, that’s not the case now.
President Ken Gruber said the number has dwindled since Sunday.
“It’s with any disaster, it dies off a little bit as we go,” Gruber said.
His goal is to make sure that by the end of this week, his crews are also working outside of the Omaha area, connecting with those in Waverly and Iowa.
“Even if another organization has been working with them, we want to be able to at least touch base and say, ‘Hey, we’re here for the long haul.’”
But in order to do that, he said they need more volunteers.
TORNADO RECOVERY
How to help — and find help
Here are ways you can assist those in Nebraska and Iowa who are recovering from tornadoes that hit on Friday, April 26.
“Within that (tornado) path, we want to make sure that we connect with everybody, especially those that need our help the most that are maybe getting missed,” Gruber said.
So more people can get help like Wiggins did.
“Very thankful that they were able to come out here and help us like they have,” Wiggins said.
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