Gov. Pete Ricketts on Thursday signed a disaster declaration in response to all the flooding and other damages caused by storms in various parts of the state in recent days.
Also on Thursday, Ricketts surveyed flooded areas with the state's National Guard, the release states.
“Flooding has had a major impact on counties across northeast Nebraska,” Ricketts said in a press release issued Thursday. “This declaration allows state funds from the Governor’s Emergency Fund to help our communities in their response.”
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The governor's declaration also grants the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, or NEMA, the ability to allocate state resources to aid communities with relief efforts. NEMA and other state agencies are working with local emergency managers to respond to areas affected by the storms.
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“NEMA will be assisting local officials with their assessments of damage and the impact resulting from these events so that recovery resources can be properly identified," NEMA Assistant Director Bryan Tuma said.
NEMA has already done some preliminary damage assessments with more scheduled for next week. A few counties had already done some preliminary assessments, the release states.
Tuma said residents should document damages resulting from these storms and contact their local emergency management officials to address any concerns or needs.
According to the release, the state's emergency management teams met Thursday morning to plan the deployment of state resources and to put the state Emergency Operations Center on alert should the inclement weather continue to cause issues.
