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Tag: Pilger

  • Bret Michaels Headlines Benefit Concert For Tornado Victims In Pilger, Nebraska

    Many believe that music has healing powers, and this is what rockstar Bret Michaels wanted to prove. On Sunday he headlined a benefit concert for those affected by the twin tornadoes that hit the town of Pilger in Nebraska in June. The town has been struggling to rebuild itself for two months, and many considered Michaels’ concert a welcome respite as well as a way to have fun while contributing to relief efforts.

    “It’s great that he is doing that for us, I mean I am grateful for it. I mean I wasn’t going to miss it, I knew that,” said Billy Mitchell, a long-time resident of Pilger, to WOWT 6 News.

    People reportedly lined up outside the DeVent Center in Norfolk, Nebraska hours before the show, which was sold out by the end of the night. Donations were coursed through Michaels’ foundation, Life Rocks, with $45,000 raised just by the concert.

    “We want people to feel great.  I want to make this a celebration of the spirit of really what Nebraska is,” said Michaels. He sang hits such as “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” and “Something To Believe In” to a crowd that rallied in support of the town of Pilger.

    “If I could play the music and live out my dream, I feel blessed, I feel thankful and to be able to give back a little or a lot, whatever we could give back into that community that is a great day,” Michaels said to WOWT 6 News.

    The story of Pilger resident Kandi Murphree was one that made the rounds in the media. Her story illustrates the extent of the damage that the tornadoes made on Pilger and the people who lived there. The tornadoes claimed the life of her five-year-old daughter, Calista Dixon, and left Murphree in a coma for two months. She recently awoke to find that she had lost Calista and no longer had a home. However, efforts like Michaels’ to help Pilger are giving her the strength to move on with her son and daughter.

    “I’m dealing with it now, and we’re going to be 100 percent,” said Murphree.

  • Nebraska Twin Tornadoes Rip Through Pilger Leaving Two People Dead

    On Monday night, two tornadoes swept through the little town of Pilger, Nebraska. The strong winds obliterated the town’s business district, and the fire station and more than 50 homes were turned into rubble.

    Trey Wisniewski said on Tuesday that he heard storm sirens and saw the sky blackening. He rushed with his wife into their basement. “My wife was holding our animals, and I was holding to my wife. We could feel the suction try to pull us out of there,” he said.

    According to Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger, about three-fourths of the town is gone, and the rare twin tornadoes left two people dead – five-year-old Calista Dixon, and the other death is from a traffic accident caused by the tornadoes. According to Faith Regional Health Services, 16 people were severely injured.

    Governor Dave Heineman said, “This is by far the worst thing I’ve ever seen as governor.”

    Up to 75 percent of buildings in Pilger were completely destroyed or severely damaged. The tornadoes left piles of rubble and bricks on the streets. Wisniewski said that he is amazed that only two people died in the destruction.

    The twin tornadoes that tore through Pilger were roughly of the same size, and were about a mile apart. According to Nebraska State Climatologist Al Dutcher, one tornado typically weakens. However, after tearing through Pilger, the two tornadoes merged.

    “It speaks wonders about the amount of instability that was in the atmosphere. This was a highly volatile situation where once something got going, it really got going,” Dutcher said.

    Authorities said that the first of the two tornadoes touched down at about 3:45 pm, followed by the second tornado.

    Governor Heineman declared a state of emergency. He also asked the National Guard to be on standby in case help is needed. A shelter was also set up for residents who lost their homes.

    Image via YouTube