AUBURN, Neb. (KMTV) — Paula Oestmann closed her flower shop, The Farmer's Wife, early Monday to make sure her family was safe after severe weather struck the Auburn area.
"Never in my lifetime have I seen living here a storm this bad," Oestmann said.
After the death of her father a year ago, Oestmann said she was especially concerned about her mother, Connie, who now lives alone.
"My mom now lives alone we lost my father a year ago and so I'm always concerned with how she is," Oestmann said.
She watched the storm from her mother's house.
"It sounded like a train and we were looking out there her trees were horizontal I've never seen anything like that," Oestmann said.
When it was safe, they rushed across town to the house of her sister, Lori, where a tree had fallen on the roof.
"She was pointing up at the tree on her house and I'm not even caring about the tree I just got to her and hugged her I was just grateful that she was okay so yeah this is a lot," Oestmann said.
Oestmann said she was proud to see neighbors helping each other clean up Tuesday, including second grader Corren Gibbs-Chess, who was out doing yard work after learning school was canceled.
When asked what it felt like to find out there was no school, Gibbs-Chess said, "I got excited."
I asked if that excitement faded when yard work was required, Gibbs-Chess said, "Yup."
The Auburn Public Schools superintendent said he wanted to properly check school buildings for damage and give everyone time to clean up. He said he is hopeful students can return Wednesday for their last day before summer break.
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