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06/03/2007: "Weigand Park clean up progressing after tornado"

One million dollars in damage, with $250,000 of the losses being uninsured, faces Nebraska Game & Parks Commission officials at the Weigand-Burbach Area of the Lewis & Clark State Recreation Area northwest of Crofton.
A tornado that came blasting in from the south in the late afternoon hours of May 5 ripped a huge hole in the middle of the park, doing extensive damage. The marina suffered considerable damage to both boats dock facilities, but many other areas of the park were equally damaged or destroyed.
“It was a lot of little things and they just kept adding up,” said Daryl Holmberg, park sunperintendet “You know, a roof here, a roof there. The tree damage was very extensive.”

But by Monday, May 15, Weigand park rangers, with a little help of their friends, were open and operating for the summer season. State park officials from Ponca, Niobrara, Fremont, Ft. Atkinson, Platte River, Mahoney, Louisville and Dead Timber were on site the next week working to get the park back into operation and the camping facilities in good shape.
Volunteers -- campers who spend several weekends every summer in the Weigand area -- showed up to help clean up the very first weekend after the episode. Debris like shingles, smaller tree branches, plywood or twisted sheet metal littered the park.
Over 100 volunteers from the city of Crofton showed up Thursday evening, May 24 and made a major impact on the small debris. They filled two dumpsters said Holmberg while working around the marina and playground area making it safe for the campers.
Members of the Northeast Nebraska Thunderbirds semi-pro football team took an evening to help with the clean up efforts, too.
“What a super good job,” Holmberg added.
The big stuff, like huge uprooted trees, were cleaned out by a Game & Parks construction crew from Lincoln. They came with big machines and cleared uprooted trees and broken limbs spread out over the park area. Tree removal expenses were quite high plus officials indicated the value of the trees if monies for replacement is received.
Other extensive damage included: damage to the restroom roof; also the picnic shelter roof; windows were blown out of the marina store and Holmberg’s office; a wall in his office will need to be rebuilt; some of the docks sustained damage; a pole shed had sheet metal damage; and the base cleaning stations and two pit toilet buildings were a total loss as well as a storage building and the gas dock and system at the marina.
Adding to the damage list are several electrical panels at a cost of $2,000 apiece which need to be replaced. Some camper pedestals for electricity were damaged. Holmberg’s house, on the park grounds, also sustained damage.
“A 3-4 inch tree limb came right through a bedroom wall and moved my bed a couple inches,” Holmberg added. “I didn’t hear it but I was waiting to hear the whole house go.”
Holmberg and wife were watching the storm from their deck but, he added, they weren’t really seeing anything. He thought he might see something when the tornado crossed the lake and went to his pickup to drive down to the boat basin. He backed up 2-3 pickup lengths and something didn’t feel right. He hurried back into the house and took his wife to the basement. It was over in minutes.       
Four of the park vehicles were a total loss. Damage to the rest of the vehicles amounted to $7,000 and consisted of window breakage and dents to the body from flying debris. The tractors even sustained damage. Total vehicle damage was $78,000.
A crew from the U.S. Corp of Engineers at Gavins Point Dam was among the first to respond, bringing a crane to repair dock damage. Getting the docks fixed was one of the first priorities. There are 92 boats slips and they are all back in service. The gas port and fueling system is not repaired yet and may not be for awhile.
Nine boats were docked the weekend of the storm and five were destroyed. The others sustained damage but not were totally submerged. Some still were floatable like the pontoon boats which were overturned. Holmberg said the post storm survey showed a scene of boat hulls sticking out of the water all over the boat basin. Since the water is not that deep in the marina, most could be reached and pulled out of the water with a pickup.
A few campers were visiting the park for the weekend, and one camper was completely destroyed. One was lying on its side. The campers had taken cover in a shelter on the east end of the park, or were not in the park when the storm hit.
The state is waiting for a response from its insurance company, and FEMA has visited the site to determine if any aid will be available. Physical damage to the park’s buildings amounted to $300,000.    
Park officials hope to rebuild the restroom facility and shop this summer. Damage to the marina building is being contracted as well as the picnic shelter and the ticket booth at the entrance to the park. The state has provided vehicles on loan until decisions are made.
The conservation officer’s new $36,000 boat which only had eight hours on it was also a total loss. Only time will tell what will be replaced this year and what will have to wait.
Jim Swenson, manager of the eastern section of Game & Parks Commission, from Lincoln, is very pleased with the progress so far to get the recreation area usable again.
“With the help of numerous volunteers and various state park agency employees from around the state, we hit the area hard,” said Swenson. “We were amazed and very thankful for all the help which showed up to clean the park.”
Swenson said Commission officials have met with FEMA to determine if any federal aid would be possible but have heard nothing yet.
“Since the park is up and running, and the day use is going good, now the marina is open, we feel can afford a little time to really assess what we will do next.”
He added park officials felt it would be prudent to wait until aid is available before deciding what will be replaced and repaired.