Cleanup crews take to streets
STORM from page 1
Acting Gov. Kim Robak said,
however, that it is uncertain when and
if emergency funding will become
available.
She said it was rare for federal
emergency funding to come before a
Presidential Disaster Declaration has
been signed, a process that could take
weeks.
“But we believe we must do all we
can to help find additional resources
for our communities,” she said.
Robak also said during an after
noon news conference that several
hundred members of the Nebraska
National Guard have been called to
help with the cleanup in both Omaha
and Lincoln.
Earlier in the week, power compa
ny officials had asked that the state
not send additional people to affected
areas, Robak said, because they felt it
would impede their progress to get
power restored. "
“We still have 30,000 households
(statewide) without power, but we
feel there are now many areas where
we can safely offer help,” she said.
In the Lincoln area, an estimated
13,000 people are still without power,
but Lincoln Electric System crews
continue to work to repair 79 outages
across the city, LES administrator
Terry Bundy said.
“We are making good progress,”
Bundy said. “We hope to have power
to the entire city by Sunday.”
LES has incurred $6.2 million in
costs during the storm repair, he said,
but less than $200,000 of that total
went for materials.
With crews from across the state,
LES is paying $650,000 a day for the
workforce, Bundy said.
On campus, landscaping crews
have also been hard at work trimming
t ■
U
We still have 30,000 households
(statewide) without power, but we feel there
are now many areas where we can safely
offer help.”
KimRobak
acting governor
trees and clearing fallen limbs and
snow.
“The cleanup is going pretty
good,” said Jeffrey Culbertson, East
Campus landscaping manager.
But there is no end in sight for the
landscaping crews.
“This will be an ongoing process
for the next few months,” Culbertson
said. “We’ll try to save as many trees
as we can.”
Mayor Mike Johanns commend
ed Lincoln’s residents for their work.
“The amount of work citizens
have done is remarkable,” Johanns
said.
The evidence of this work shows
up at the city’s dump sites, he said.
Eleven sites are operating around the
city to collect trees.
“Every load citizens bring in is
one less that we have to pick up,” he
said.
Residents should try to be patient
at the dumps despite long lines, parks
department spokesperson Steve
Miller said.
All residential streets should be
open today, Johanns said.
The city’s traffic signals should
all be working again soon, Lincoln
Police Chief Tom Casady said.
The Red Cross closed its shelter
at Pershing Auditorium at 4 p.m.
Thursday.
Anyone still in need of shelter
was transferred to the city’s last
remaining temporary shelter at
Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Anyone interested in volunteer
ing can contact the United Way,
which is organizing a volunteer
cleanup effort to help the elderly and
sick.
Volunteers can contact Lincoln
Information For the Elderly, League
of Human Dignity or the Lincoln
Action Program to become involved.
“There has been an overwhelming
response to help from across the
state,” said Darrel Podany , director
of the United Way Volunteer
Connection.
Lincoln firefighters are conduct
ing a food drive to benefit those hit
hardest by the storm. Canned foods
are being accepted at every station.
Trick or treating could be treach
erous this weekend, Casady said.
“Parents need to use their judg
ment to decide if their neighborhood
is safe for trick or treating,” Casady
said.
Everyone is working to achieve
some degree of normalcy, Johanns
said.
“We’re just trying to get back to
the rhythm of life in the city.”
Early snow forces
winter precaution#
By Josh Funk
Assignment Reporter
Winter has taken the Capital
City by storm.
And with the onset of winter,
people should prepare themselves,
their cars and their bikes for the cold
months ahead.
Drivers can prepare for winter
driving conditions by planning
ahead, said Carol Witforth, assistant
coordinator of Lincoln/Lancaster
County Emergency Services.
“Common sense is real impor
tant in the winter,” Witforth said.
“Don’t risk your life unnecessarily
on the roads.”
She offered the following tips to
keep winter travelers safe:
■ Check weather before leav
ing.
■ Carry emergency supplies in
the car.
■ Call ahead to check road con
ditions.
A few minor repairs and
replacements can help ensure that
your car will be running smoothly
all winter, said mechanic Randy
Connealy of The Garage, 2210 S.
Seventh St.
“You should have a good all
around check done to make sure
everything is in good shape,”
Connealy said.
Mechanics recommend that
these services be done before the
first storm of the year, so they
should be done as soon as possible.
“You should have done this stuff
last week,” said Jeff Harris, a
mechanic at D and K Auto Service,
4315 N. 62nd St.
These simple services can keep
people irom becoming stranded,
mechanics said.
■ Make sure the spark plugs are
good.
■ Use the correct viscosity of
oil.
■ Check that antifreeze is good
for temperature and acidity protec
tion.
■ Check all the belts and hoses.
■ Make sure tires have good
tread.
■ Check the brakes.
“It is much easier to make an
appointment and drive your car
there than it is to be stranded and
have your car towed in,” Connealy
said.
There are also a few other things
people can do to make winter dri
ving more bearable, mechanics
said.
■ Replace wiper blades.
■ Make sure headlights work.
■ Check the heater. I I f
■ Be prepared for the possibili
ty of being stranded by keeping
blankets, a flashlight and some food
in the car.
“I usually just replace those
(wiper blades) every winter,” said
mechanic Joe Wilkinson of Midas,
601 N. 27th St.
There are also a few things stu
dents can do to prepare their bikes
for the winter weather, said Rob
Holbrook, an employee at Bike
Pedalers, 1353 S. 33"^.
■ Get mud flaps or fenders to
cope with melting snow.
■ Get knobbier or even-studded
snow tires for better traction in
severe weather.
■ Try to find space inside to
store the bike.
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HOAGLAND from page 1
extent to which members of Congress
are plugged into the daily decisions
made at the federal level.”
Hoagland identified four major
issues he would seek to address in a
campaign.
He said he was concerned with
strengthening schools and keeping
higher education costs down, retain
ing the viability of Social Security
and Medicare, reducing crime and
enhancing neighborhood safety, and
cutting back on government regula
tions that disrupt the free market
ilw " ===
economy.
Hoagland was able to win con
gressional elections in 1988, 1990
and 1992 before losing in 1994 when
the Republican Party swept the elec
tions to control both houses of
Congress.
Public dissatisfaction with
Congress’s performance was primari
ly to blame for his 1994 loss,
Hoagland said. Specifically, he cited
his support for President Clinton’s
1993 budget proposal and his support
for an assault-weapons ban as votes
that contributed to his defeat.
“In 1994 there was a big wave
across the country of anti-Congress
sentiment,” he said. “I think that was
improperly blamed on the
Democrats.”
Tricia Bruning, executive director
of the Nebraska Democratic Party,
said Hoagland would bring extensive
congressional knowledge and experi
ence to the race. She said Hoagland
would put Omaha’s interests ahead of
his personal ambitions.
“Peter was that way, and he
promises to be that way again,”
Bruning said.
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