Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • A4

A4 Thursday, June 19, 2014 Lincoln Journal StarFrom pAge A1 tornado-ravaged towns Greensburg, Spencer, S.D.; Thurman, Iowa; and Hallam show it be easy. Pilger Board Chairman Jim Duncan sounded upbeat about his future, de- spite all the damage from the EF4 tornado that hit it. After retrieving a couple of pairs of jeans from the wreck- age of his home, Duncan even joked that people who thought the town needed a new middle school would now probably get their wish. just pick up the piec- es and move Dun- can said. Most Pilger residents will have to wait to learn how much insurance coverage they have before deciding whether to move.

Business owner Linda Oertwich said after viewing the extensive damage that she sure the town would recover. People are much more likely to rebuild if they live in a close-knit community and have ties to the area, said Laszlo Kulcsar, direc- tor of the Kansas Popula- tion Center at Kansas State University. have been destroyed by tornadoes before. Most of them just said Kulcsar, who studied deci- sion to reinvent itself with green technology when it rebuilt after a 2007 tornado wiped out most of the rural community. Greensburg lost roughly half of its population as it was being reborn as an environmentally friendly town.

Even without drastic changes, towns risk losing residents while rebuilding, especially professionals whose jobs could be done elsewhere. As in most small ru- ral communities, population was already de- clining, falling from a high of 578 in 1930 to 352 in the most recent Census. And Pilger residents have the op- tion of moving to the larger communities of Norfolk or Wayne less than half an hour away. In 1998, a tornado killed six people and leveled most of the buildings in Spencer, S.D. Despite efforts to re- build and attract residents, the population has fallen from about 370 to fewer than 170.

Spencer has a bank, coffee shop, beauty shop, day care, library and post office. But many other businesses and three of its four churches rebuilt. had any houses for probably two years Donna Ruden, town board president, said Wednesday. slow. You always want what your town had before the tornado, but not going to An April 2012 tornado damaged 95 percent of the southwest Iowa town of Thurman, but cause serious injuries.

More than two years later, Mayor Rod Umphreys said the town is bouncing back. biggest thing was that sense of community, and people wanted to Umphreys said of the recov- ery effort. go- ing to let (the tornado) shake their spirits. where they lived, where they came from, and that was what was important to them, so they The America BEER SALE a THE Hours: 7 AM 10 PM Fri. Sat.

7 AM 11 PM Sunday 10 AM 8 PM Prices Good Thru 6-25-14 Limited To Stock On Hand 6820 S. 70th (402) 423-1875 www.thestill.com 6-Packs GOOSE ISLAND. $5.99 SHINER $6.49 NEWCASTLE $6.99 SIERRA NEVADA $6.99 NEW BEGIUM $6.99 THUNDERHEAD $6.99 LAGUNITAS $7.99 EMPYREAN $6.49 PYRAMID $6.49 ODELL $6.99 MOOSE DROOL. $6.99 ZIPLINE $6.99 FOUNDER'S $7.49 NORTH COAST ACME. $7.99 BOULEVARD.

$6.49 ANCHOR BREWING. $6.99 BOULDER $6.99 BRECKENRIDGE $6.99 MODERN MONKS $6.99 DESCHUTES $7.99 NEBRASKA BREWING $7.99 Cider Flavored Malt 12-Packs HONEY SUMMER $10.99 NEW $10.99 GOOSE $10.99 SHOCK $10.99 LANDSHARK $10.99 $10.99 BLUE $10.99 SIERRA $11.99 GOOSE ISLAND ENDLESS SIERRA NEVADA NEWCASTLE CABBIE LEINE'S SUMMER SHANDY SAM ADAMS SUMMER BRECKENRIDGE SUMMER BRIGHT $6.99 BOULEVARD ZON N.B. SUMMER HELLES ANCHOR SUMMER WOODCHUCK ANGRY ORCHARD MIKE'S LEMONADES STRONGBOW CAYMAN Summer Seasonals BARTON VODKA ...............1.75 $9.99 CHASE VODKA 1.75 RICH RARE 1.75 CANADIAN 1.75 LAUDER'S 1.75 FAMOUS GROUSE CRUZAN RUM 1.75 ANCIENT AGE BOURBON 1.75 SEAGRAM'S 7 1.75 Beefeater Gin 1.75 $29.99 Crown royal 1.75 $39.99 Tropical Rum Sale Now In Progress! Over 60 on Sale Capt. MorGan SpiCed ruM 1.75 $23.99 LIQUOR BIG HOUSE BOx WINES 3 ALMADEN BOx 5 $14.99 VENDANGE VARIETAL WINES 1.5 $5.99 CUVEE 20 CALIF. ml $24.99 Cline Cellars 750 ml A.V.

PINOT CASHMERE $7.99 82 RED BLEND Kendall-JaCKSon VineyardS 750 ml CABERNET $15.99 MERLOT $15.99 PINOT NOIR $15.99 CHARDONNAY SAUV. BLANC winery-of- the-Month MaSi ValpoliCella italian wine 750 ml $13.99 CharleS CharleS waShinGton wineS 750 ml CABERNET BLEND $8.99 $8.99 ROSE SPECTATOR 88 POINTS Miller Lite-MGD-64 warm 18-pak bottles $11.99 CoorS Regular or Light warm 24-pak cans $15.99 old MilwauKee Regular or Light warm 30-pak cans $13.99 hiGh life Regular or Light warm 30-pak cans $13.99 MiCheloB Golden draft warm 24-pak cans $15.99 Benefit Beer Tasting Thursday, June 19th, 5-8pm for the Capital Humane Society! WINE BEER Murphree moved to Ne- braska in 2012 to take care of her mom and stepfather, who has a nervous system disorder and has trouble walking. Kay Labenz needs back and shoulder surgery. Murphree had worked in a nursing home before and dreamed of owning an as- sisted living center. said this would just be good her mom said by telephone on Wednesday.

Murphree brought Cali and her 4-year-old sister, Robin, with her to Nebras- ka. Their father still lives in Alabama, where Murphree spent most of her adult life. She went back earlier this year to get her 21-year-old son, Cody Murphree. He got a job at Heri- tage Homes of Nebraska in Wayne, just across the street from where she works at a Prime Stop Convenience Store. They lived with Kay and Les Labenz in a two-sto- ry house on Main Street in Pilger until a couple of months ago, when they moved into a mobile home a block away.

Murphree bought the trailer cheap, her mom said. She planned to fix it up with help and rent it out for income once they bought their dream home, a big his- toric house. Kandi Murphree likes to tell jokes and talk about her kids, said her friend and co- worker Kasey Clark. She is a religious woman who would do anything for her kids, in- cluding taking them to the circus when she was sick. Clark said the girls were shy but polite when they came into the store.

They knew to say please and thank you and not to beg. Cody is shy, too, and helps his mom pay the bills, she said. raised them Clark said. always said it was an Alabama Days before the tornado hit, a severe storm swept through eastern Nebraska, and Kay Labenz told her daughter to come to her house for safety. Murphree said no.

The storm scare her. God would decide when it was her time. But Monday night, as the tornado bore down on Pil- ger, she changed her mind, and she and the girls ran to- ward the gas station across the street. A friend had told her it was a safe place, her mom said. Robin made it.

Her mom and sister Up the street, Kay and Les Labenz were holding onto each other in a corner of their basement. windows popped out of the basement and then there was a lot of wind and Kay Labenz said. all of a sudden it was just over. I was praying, let us survive, Lord. Just let us She opened her eyes, and the house was gone.

Where they stood was the only part of the base- ment free of debris bro- ken boards, air condi- tioner units, a refrigerator. could see out a clear view of the tornado she said. had wiped out everything down the Kay and Les Labenz are staying with family in Stanton. Cody Murphree, who was at work when the tornado hit, is staying with his little sister Robin at his supervi- house until they can find their own place. Kay Labenz said Robin suffered only scratches and bruises and remembers the tornado, but she talk about it.

When Cody is ready to go back to work, watch Robin. are hanging onto each Labenz said. needs her right now, because that is all got. are living with a family that has some chil- dren. She is playing and be- ing a little By TIM GALLAGHER Sioux City Journal LAUREL An uninvited guest dropped by the Lowell and Virginia Burns farm four miles northeast of Laurel on Tuesday night.

A tornado. It stayed an hour. A storm damage sur- vey crew from the National Weather Service in Omaha observed a large sta- tionary wedge northeast of Laurel at 9:21 p.m. Tuesday. Thirty-nine minutes later, the report and the storm had barely changed position.

p.m. Tornado still on ground. Nearly sta- the survey crew reported. never seen one stay put that said Sally Johnson, meteorologist in charge with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls. The tornado was one of a half-dozen or so reported to the National Weather Ser- vice in the second straight night of treacherous weath- er.

Trained spotters also re- ported tornadoes near Har- tington, Dixon and Coleridge in northeast Nebraska. The weather service also said tornadoes touched down Tuesday night in northwest Cher- ry and Hooker counties. Four rural residences in Cedar County were de- stroyed, according to Emer- gency Management Coor- dinator Kevin Garvin. One person suffered a minor injury that require hospitalization. In Dixon County, Shea Scollard, emergency man- agement coordinator, was still trying to assemble re- ports from the Tuesday evening storms.

His ef- forts grew complicated as the storm occurred one day after tornadoes damaged or destroyed 28 residences near Wakefield. Volunteers reported to more than a dozen farms northeast of Laurel on Wednesday to trim trees and pull wood and metal from yards, barns and saturated fields of corn and soybeans. The system on Tuesday night scarred a path 17 miles across Cedar County and then into the edge of Dixon County, going from 4 miles northwest of Coleridge to within a mile of Dixon. The first tornado sighting northwest of Coleridge took place at 7:54 p.m. Officials in Cedar County got the at 11:30 p.m.

The mayhem lasted about half that long for Lowell and Virginia Burns, in the only home known since March 1954. The three-bedroom house built by Lowell, his father and two of his brothers lost its windows and some of its siding and shingles. It budge from its foundation, though. The roof kept them under wraps. went to the basement at 9 p.m.

and stayed there until 10:30 p.m.,” Virginia Burns said. are usually a boom and it. We just kept listening to it. I prayed, and the man upstairs took good care of The couple lost a barn, a garage, dozens of trees, a hog house, two grain bins and a chicken brooder house. Johnson said weak winds some 2 miles above the ground were to blame for this stationary tornado.

Usually, stronger upper level winds push a tornado along. That happen with this cell. worked seven differ- ent stations from the mid- Atlantic region to the Plains, and this is the first time seen this she said. Couple rides out stationary tornado near Laurel Lincoln Journal Star The Better Business Bu- reau encourages people to watch out for unscrupulous contractors who would take advantage of storm damage. The bureau says storm victims should beware of out-of-town contractors soliciting business.

firms typically set up temporary shops in the area to capture construction work caused by the BBB President and CEO Jim Hegarty said in a news release. they canvass the area with fliers or go from door to door offering their ser- vices. While some of these contractors may offer a low price and fast repairs, they may not stand behind their work or have the proper He offers these tips. Get the complete name, address and phone number. Be skeptical of vague or hesitant answers or no offers of contracts, brochures or anything in writing.

Beware of high- pressure sales tactics. Make sure the contrac- tor has all appropriate per- mits for the work and verify company has liability and comp insurance. If possible, verify that insur- ance is active by contacting insurance company directly. If the company is from out of town, ask how war- ranty issues or problems will be addressed after work is done and the company is gone. Ask for references and check them out before sign- ing any contract.

Get a signed contract including start and comple- tion dates, exact cost, etc. Read fine print carefully. Get at least three or four quotes and insist that payments be made to a com- pany, not an individual. Check with your insurance and ask for adjuster to check out damage. Be suspicious of a con- tractor who asks for full pay- ment up front.

Check out With at bbb.org or call 800-649-6814. Watch out for storm repair scams Doc Cali Continued from A1 Rebuilding Continued from A1 Funds for family of Calista Dixon Funds set up at First Nebraska Bank will go to funeral costs and living expenses for Calista family. Make checks out to the Calista Dixon fund or the Kandi Murphree fund and mail to First Nebraska Bank, P.O. Box 10, Wayne, NE 68787. By T.J.

FOWLER Sioux City Journal SIOUX CITY, Iowa Even after a decade of chas- ing storms, Brent Koops was surprised by the ferocity of tornadoes and severe thun- derstorms that hammered northeast Nebraska this week. Koops, of Orange City, Iowa, followed the double tornado that tore through Pilger on Monday night. He said the experience was un- like any other. been doing this for about 10 years or bet- Koops said. defi- nitely never seen anything quite like what we saw on Koops, 30, said he and a friend watched from the road as the twin twisters took form and tore across the northeast tip of the state.

were rolling west into (the he said. was another going already. It became two very large tornadoes and we watched them move several miles north When a 2-mile-wide tornado formed Tuesday and touched down near Coleridge, and another hov- ered in the same spot for an hour near Laurel, it left some wondering behind what seem to be unusually savage storms. But weather experts say there really a kind of tornado. important to realize that any tornado is uncom- said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist for the Storm Prediction Center in Nor- man, Okla.

Carbin explained that tor- nadoes are formed by only a handful of ingredients. it all starts with a he said. need a fairly robust one that will exist usually in an environment character- ized by warm, moist air in the lower levels of the atmo- sphere and drier air When rising winds per- sist and rain is pushed out of the formation, that can extend the life span and result in the kind of instability that produces tornadoes. Carbin explained that Pil- double tornado formed because of the timing and temperature of the storm. tend to have life Carbin said.

tend to mature until cold air wraps into the cir- culation and basically kills the tornado off. of seeing the primary tornado dissipate before the other, one is formed and you have two at the same Carbin added that slow- moving or stationary tor- nadoes like the one in Laurel unheard of, either. storms will move along at 25 to 30 he said. not something expect to see, but un- der the right circumstances, you can get very slow-mov- ing tornadoes. seems to have an unending array of possibili- ties.

why these are so difficult to Twin tornadoes, stationary twister are not usual How to help Beginning at 6:30 a.m. daily, volunteers who want to help residents of Pilger should check in with a valid photo ID at Wisner-Pilger High School in Wisner, 801 18th St. (west edge of town). Registration closes at 3 p.m. each day.

Volunteers will be bused to Pilger, where the main duty will be debris removal. Volunteers should not go di- rectly to Pilger. They need to bring their own work gloves and wear long sleeves, long pants and work boots. Lunch will be provided. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said donations of items are not needed now because resi- dents have anywhere to put them.

Financial dona- tions will be more useful, said spokeswoman Jodie Fawl. Here are ways to help: A fund has been established at Midwest Bank. Donations can be mailed to: Pilger Emergency Fund, Midwest Bank, Norfolk Branch, 2501 W. Benjamin P.O. Box 886, Norfolk, NE 68702- 0886, or dropped off at any Midwest Bank location, including 2655 Jamie Lane in Lincoln.

Two funds have been established through Stan- ton State Bank, P.O. Box 437, Stanton, NE 68779. Designate checks to the Tornado Relief for six rural Stanton families displaced from their homes, or Stanton Tornado Relief for all victims. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Also, Raising said it will donate 10 percent of sales from its three Lincoln restaurants on Thursday to Pilger tornado victims..