Representatives from the Douglas and Washington County Sheriff's Offices, along with the National Guard, shared an update on operations at the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Omaha on the one-week mark since destructive tornadoes struck on April 26.
Washington County Sheriff Mike Robinson said that a formal request for National Guard Assistance has been submitted, with the purpose of providing additional security and traffic controls in the affected areas. In order for the National Guard to provide assistance, disaster response officials at the local level have to make the request. Local officials remain in charge of operations even when the guard is mobilized to help.
"We're maintaining constant patrols in the area," said Robinson. "We're a little different — we have a 10.5 mile path that the tornado traveled. It's a large area from rural farmhouses to a couple major residential developments."
Areas of Bennington and Blair were affected by an EF-3 tornado last Friday evening, with damage in the Woodland Crossing, Bennington Lake, and Calirosa neighborhoods. In Elkhorn, the tornado damage was largely concentrated within Ramblewood and Vistancia, two residential neighborhoods.
3 News Now checked with the Nebraska National Guard's spokesperson, who confirmed that the Guard had received the request from Washington County and was processing it. It is too early to determine if members of the guard would shift from Douglas to Washington County, or whether additional members would come to Washington in the event the request is approved. Checkpoints are still being managed by Washington County Sheriff's deputies in the three hardest-hit areas of Washington County.
The first National Guard members arrived in Douglas County for instruction on Wednesday evening. The overall number has grown from about two dozen soldiers and airmen to 82 — all working on a volunteer basis. Their response is the result of the DCSO and OPD's requests for assistance, the first time the Guard has been activated since the civil unrest in summer 2020.
"We're here to relieve the sheriff and his teams from having to patrol some of these areas and take that off of their burden," said Brig. Gen. Gary Ropers of the Nebraska National Guard.
The soldiers and airmen are working on roving patrols, traffic management, alongside law enforcement and other safety measures in the affected areas in Elkhorn. The Nebraska State Patrol is also assisting with the round-the-clock patrols alongside local law enforcement, who explained that neighbors are the best resources for keeping an eye out for any unusual activity to alert to law enforcement. Both counties are still requesting that non-residents avoid the affected areas as it is still generating traffic trouble.
Before the Guard's arrival in Douglas County Wednesday, Nebraska Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly plus officials from NEMA and FEMA flew with the National Guard to survey storm damage from the air.
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