CALLAWAY—Residents of Central Nebraska watched storms blow through their communities on Sunday, June 5 with several severe thunderstorm warnings in effect throughout the evening. Between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. the Village of Callaway was severely hit with large hail and wind gusts that left residential and commercial buildings with broken windows, totaled vehicles, and damage to roofs and siding.
The National Weather Service received reports of half-dollar sized hail falling for approximately 15 minutes resulting in damages to vehicles, buildings, and homes.
KCNI/KBBN spoke with Schneringer Golf Shop owner Gene Schneringer who said the community was beat up by golf-ball-sized hail. He said throughout Callaway the windows on the east side of buildings experienced the brunt of the destruction. Most roofs will need repairs in his opinion and he said large amounts of leaves cover the streets. Schneringer said his business had broken windows and a broken skylight, with the sides of the building dinged up as well.
“It’s a mess. But it could be worse. We’re happy there was no tornado,” Schneringer told KCNI/KBBN.
Schneringer added that local contractors have been helping residents and businesses board up windows until new windows can be installed. He also said the Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN) riders would be traveling through Callaway this week and everyone is doing their best to get things cleaned up.
Lawrence Paulsen of the Callaway Market also told KCNI/KBBN that much of the storm damage on Sunday evening was on the east side of buildings with broken windows and damaged gutters and siding, as well as broken car windows. Paulsen said multiple roofing companies are in town and community members are trying to get cleaned up in time for the BRAN riders. He also said the museum is dealing with broken windows.
The Callaway Village office told KCNI/KBBN “it wasn’t pretty” and the town is recovering from broken windows and leaves everywhere.
Callaway Utility Superintendent Rod Bristol said fortunately, power outages were not prevalent. About six outages were reported on Sunday evening lasting about three hours but all were fixed on Sunday. He said he was thankful the outages were repaired before it got dark.
Bristol said the village is utilizing its manpower to get things cleaned up and “do the best we can.”
Callaway District Hospital CEO Brett Eggleston told KCNI/KBBN the hospital sustained some damage to the building but it “has not impacted patient care.” The hospital utilized generator power for approximately one hour on Sunday evening but since then everything has been operating as normal.
Eggleston said the storm caused some damage to the roof but the hospital was one of the few lucky businesses that did not have any broken windows. No injuries were reported as a result of the storm on Sunday, June 5.
He reiterated that most damage sustained was on the east side of buildings and that the streets are lined with leaves and small limbs. Eggleston said grass and lawns look beaten up and the community will continue with the clean-up process.
