- Survivors of the Arbor Day tornadoes gathered Wednesday to share stories two years after the disaster
- The Omaha Community Foundation has distributed more than $1 million to affected homeowners
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) – Neighbors whose homes were destroyed by the Arbor Day tornadoes in 2024 came together on Wednesday night to share their stories about what happened two years ago.
The Omaha Community Foundation hosted a community dinner where survivors reconnected and shared their experiences.
Elkhorn neighbor Delainey Oswald was among those who attended, showing photos of the damage to her home.
"Everybody says it's like a freight train, but when it happened to me, all I heard was glass," Oswald said.
Washington County neighbors Dorothy and Rick Schmidt were also at the dinner. The couple never found their dishwasher or kitchen sink after the storm.
"Where did they go? Farmer's field in Iowa is what we joke," Schmidt said. "You can laugh or you can cry. I've done plenty of both."
Laura Contreras with the Omaha Community Foundation said more than $1 million has been distributed to homeowners, most of it donated by fellow neighbors and local foundations.
"They were able to support our community, that they all live and work in, and so they wanted to be good neighbors and provide some support," Contreras said.
While the support has made recovery easier, the memories of that afternoon remain.
"I say that I'm strong, and that none of this gets to me, but at the end of the day, I still hear my brother's screaming, me screaming, just everybody being worried and terrified," Oswald said.
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