BROADWATER, Neb. Residents in the Broadwater area are cleaning up today after an apparent tornado ripped into the area Thursday afternoon.
As you drive through Broadwater, you can see major damage including power lines being knocked down, pivots were flipped over and houses were affected.
“A lot of people lost buildings on Highway 92,” said Mike Francis, resident of Broadwater. “A brand new shop is gone and several houses are without roofs but we were lucky. We are not complaining any.”
With the property damage, there was a tree that fell onto the roof of the house and the other home was completely destroyed with debris spread all across the field.
“We are just very lucky that nobody was injured,” explained Francis. “Property can be rebuilt; it’s just a money thing. It comes and goes. Everybody is healthy and walked away without a scratch. God was looking after us.”
Many residents are still without power but crews are still working to get it back up and running but they say to be careful because many roads still have power lines on the ground.
National Weather Service officials were able to examine the damage Friday afternoon, and according to Chad Hahn the damage pattern appeared to indicate straight-line winds were the cause. However, Hahn also said wind speeds were estimated at 80-100 miles an hour, which is also consistent with a weak tornado.
by Brian Sherrod (2018, May 11) 1101now
