On Monday June 16th a typical mid-June afternoon quickly turned to terror as a family of destructive tornadoes ravaged portions of North-East Nebraska, leaving behind several paths of devastation. The Pilger Nebraska community was hardest hit, where an EF-4 tornado stole the lives of 2 victims and left dozens injured prior to leaving parts of town flattened and many homeless. Pilger was not alone in the destruction, other tornadoes both before and after the Pilger tornado also ravaged through large areas of rural North-East Nebraska, leaving farmsteads, feed yards, crops and everything in their path destroyed. Along their destructive path the tornadoes also directly impacted a portion of the Lower Elkhorn NRD's property; as a result, Maskenthine Lake, where extensive tornado damage occurred, will be closed until further notice.

The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts would like to extend our thoughts and condolences to those who suffered both personal and property loss. From destructive large flood events to past tornado events, we've seen it before, the people of Nebraska will rally behind those suffering and assist the area in cleaning up and returning to normal as quick as possible. As disaster assistance becomes available through either insurance or state and federal programs, please remember the importance of keeping detailed records of losses, it can become especially important for those with farm and ranch losses. For more information or details on when Maskenthine Lake will be reopening, please visit the Lower Elkhorn NRD's website www.lenrd.org.   

For those interested in offering assistance to the tornado victims and tornado devastated area, a relief fund has been setup with Midwet Bank in Pilger. Donations can be mailed to: Pilger Community Development Fund, c/o Midwest Bank, PO Box 346 Pilger, NE 68768. For more information on the fund visit the funds website: http://midwestbank.com/pilger-location-devastated-by-tornados.aspx. Vol... are also needed to assist with debris removal and cleanup please visit this site to learn how to help:http://www.nema.ne.gov/index.shtml. 

Photo of Tornado Exiting Pilger Taken By Storm Chaser Dustin Wilcox. Video of the tornado can be viewed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxOIA9WKKro 

Photos below taken by the Lower Elkhorn NRD highlighting damage that occurred at Maskentine Lake.