ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — Two years after the Arbor Day tornado, the Ramblewood neighborhood in Elkhorn continues to rebuild through tree planting and community support.
- The recovery hasn't been the same for everyone, with some homes fully rebuilt while other foundations remain empty.
- Neighbors faced various challenges during the rebuilding process, including issues with insurance and contractors.
- To help restore the community, neighbor Karen McGuire started a neighborhood association and helped plant around 600 trees to replace those destroyed by the storm.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Two years after an EF-4 tornado tore through the Ramblewood neighborhood in Elkhorn, the scars are still visible. Recovery has not been equal for everyone, but neighbors say the community has come a long way.
Driving through Ramblewood today, there are areas that look like any other neighborhood with houses standing strong. Elsewhere, construction is still underway, but a few empty foundations remain as a silent reminder of what happened.
Mark Allison has lived in the neighborhood for a decade. He remembers coming home after the tornado.
"It was just kind of an overwhelming experience," Allison said.
"Came home and saw the back door had been blown in, the house had kind of got ballooned out, I found that I had some roof damage at the front of the house," Allison said.
Rebuilding from the ground up, it took seven months until Allison and his family could move back. While it is home, a lot has changed.
"The one thing that is a little saddening still is all the trees that were here are all gone," Allison said.
Karen McGuire noticed the missing trees and decided to help. Since the disaster, she has helped plant around 600 trees in the neighborhood.
"It's what helps a house feel like a home," McGuire said.
"This neighborhood's been around for 53 years now, 54, about… And so the trees were about that old and so it's gonna take a long time for it to feel like that again, but at least we can start now," McGuire said.
Along with tree planting, McGuire started a neighborhood association to help neighbors stay connected and ask questions.
"It's taken a long time. Some people had issues with contractors leaving um and issues with insurance," McGuire said.
For many in Ramblewood, recovery is about more than the physical elements. It is about patience, persistence and leaning on each other.
"Just keep reaching out if you need help and and hold on a little bit longer because there's a light at the end of the tunnel, so you'll get there," McGuire said.
Two years later, Ramblewood continues to rebuild one wall, one tree, and one helping hand at a time.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
