Pete Ricketts: “I live in the best place in the world--Nebraska. One of the reasons it is the best place in the world is because of the…”

“I live in the best place in the world--Nebraska. One of the reasons it is the best place in the world is because of the people and the community that pull together in times of disaster. We just experienced one of those disasters on Friday. According to the National Weather Service, we had 14 tornadoes. Five of them measured as an EF3. They impacted much of the eastern part of our State. We had 450 homes that were destroyed and many more damaged, millions of dollars in damaged public infrastructure, but thanks to a number of people, Nebraska was able to avoid any fatalities--in fact, had no serious injuries. I want to thank the people at the National Weather Service and our broadcasters, who helped make sure we got the message out. These occurred on a Friday afternoon. Educators kept kids in schools and kept them sheltered. People got the advanced warning, thanks to our broadcasters, and sought shelter. That is one of the reasons we were able to avoid any serious injuries--Nebraskans knew what to do. I want all Nebraskans who have been impacted by this to know that my wife Susanne and I continue to keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Then came the reaction, all of the groups who worked to protect Nebraskans. I want to thank our first responders, especially those in Douglas and Washington Counties, for the work they did. I want to thank the Nebraska State Patrol, the Nebraska National Guard, and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.…”