‘Widespread destruction’: City of Auburn issues disaster declaration following severe weather

AUBURN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Auburn community spent the day hauling branches and clearing debris after powerful storms ripped through on Monday.

The city issued a disaster declaration on Tuesday.

“You think you’re making progress, then you look around, and it feels like a drop in the bucket compared to what needs to be done,” said Crystal Dunekacke, the city administrator.

Auburn Public Schools decided to cancel classes due to the extensive damage.

People of all ages got to work, borrowing trucks and chainsaws.

“To have such widespread destruction and debris scattered throughout our community, it’s really difficult,” Dunekacke said. “People keep saying, ‘Where was it the worst?’ And I just go ‘you think you’ve seen the worst and then you go onto the next block and the next block.'”

Some neighbors told Channel 8 it felt like an EF-1 tornado.

Yards are covered with fallen trees, branches and leaves scattered everywhere.

One neighbor’s car was smashed in by the high winds, which knocked over a tree.

“It would hit, knock things out and stop,” Dunekacke said. “Then the rain would come through, and rain and wind would blow again, so it was just kind of a cynical kind of thing where people felt like ‘it’s the calm, but yet there’s more coming. What’s coming next?’ We talked to somebody who had a tree fall on their roof, it came through into their living room. Then the next storm brought a bunch of rain, so water came in after.”

While the damage is overwhelming, the response from multiple different counties has been immediate.

Otoe and Cass County Emergency Management Agencies helped to coordinate cleanup efforts.

A group of volunteers even traveled from Cass County.

“I was watching the radar, and I thought it was going to hit our county,” said Darcie Maloney, one of the volunteers. “But when it took that hook, that’s when we decided we might want to get a team together to come down and help. We all look after each other; that is the one great thing. We are a strong Nebraska group.”

The city said it does not have a specific timeline for when all the debris will be cleared.