Robert Pore's Ag Blog

Lincoln — Nebraska State Sen. Annette Dubas (District 34) and a coalition of nearly thirty State Senators in coordination with Gov. Dave Heineman and the Rural Response Network came together Wednesday, Jan. 24, to stress the need for individual aid via donations and continued assistance to the residents of the 57 counties affected by the December ice storms in central and western Nebraska.

Senators representing each county included in the federal disaster declaration signed by President George W. Bush attended the event held today at the State Capitol in Lincoln to show their support for the private outreach effort.

Said Senator Dubas, “I am very concerned about the rural areas and the people and communities who are dealing with the extensive ongoing costs of the December ice storms. I have heard accounts of generators costing between $200-300 per day. I have exhausted all avenues in a humble attempt to provide direct relief through a government entity to those in need. It simply cannot be done. But, I believe that the people of the state of Nebraska will come together and help those in need at this time. I have appealed to the Governor and my colleagues to raise the level of awareness about this ongoing situation, and I am very pleased with their overwhelming response to assist in this effort.”

Senators participating in the awareness effort include: Sen. Greg Adams (District 24), Sen. Ray Aguilar (District 35), Sen. Carroll Burling (District 33), Sen. Tom Carlson (District 38), Sen. Mark Christensen (District 44), Sen. Abbie Cornett (District 45), Sen. Cap Dierks (District 40), Sen. Pat Engel (District 17), Sen. Phil Erdman (District 47), Sen. Deb Fischer (District 43), Sen. Mike Flood (District 19), Sen. Mike Friend (District 10), Sen. Tony Fulton (District 29), Sen. Tom Hansen (District 42), Sen. John Harms (District 48), Sen. Joel Johnson (District 37), Sen. Russ Karpisek (District 22), Sen. Chris Langemeier (District 23), Sen. LeRoy Lathrop (District 12), Sen. Vickie McDonald (District 41), Sen. Amanda McGill (District 26), Sen. Kent Rogert (District 16), Sen. DiAnna Schimek (District 27), Sen. Arnie Stuthman (District 22), Sen. Norm Wallman (District 30), Sen. Tom White (District 8), Sen. John Wightman (District 36), Sen. Pete Pirsch (District 4). The Rural Response Emergency Network, NEMA, and the Nebraska Chapter of the American Red Cross were in attendance among other volunteer organizations accepting donations.

Heineman commended the coalition of senators for drawing attention to the need to provide help for those still recovering from the series of storms that struck the region.

“Nebraskans are incredibly resilient, and in the days following these storms you saw neighbors reaching out to offer help to those in need in the communities struck by this series of storms and family members from across the state providing a place for relatives who’d lost power," he said. "While power has been restored to most communities, we know that the recovery effort will take months. For those who’ve had to rely on generators during the recent cold snap, the costs associated with this disaster have quickly piled up, and there are many who could benefit from some help in paying those bills. I encourage ever Nebraskan to consider ways they can reach out and provide some much needed help for our fellow residents.”

Representatives of several agencies and relief organizations involved with providing assistance to Nebraskans affected by the storms attended the event, including the Rural Response Emergency Network, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, the Nebraska Chapter of the American Red Cross, and representatives from Southern Public Power District and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

Nebraskans interested in making a donation to support the ongoing relief effort are encouraged to send a check to the Rural Response Emergency Network or to contact the organization directly to ask about other opportunities to support the residents of communities impacted by the storm.

Donations can be mailed to the following organization:

Interchurch Ministries of Nebraska
Rural Response Emergency Network
215 Centennial Mall South, Ste. 300
Lincoln, NE 68508-1888

Phone – 800.464.0258

For more information go to www.annettedubas.com

Labels: Ag News: Rural events