Pillen requests federal disaster for March winter storm, first Nebraska request of 2025 [View all]

Source: Nebraska Examiner

By: Zach Wendling - April 14, 2025 2:37 pm

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen has requested a major federal disaster declaration for 27 Nebraska counties related to a March winter storm that disaster response officials estimate did more than $64.9 million in damage.

Pillen sent the request to President Donald Trump for the March 18-19 storms, during which the state’s public utilities suffered the most eligible damage, the most significant of which was to power poles and electrical lines. More than 1,700 poles were downed or destroyed.

Major roadways closed due to the storm — producing thunderstorms, sleet, high winds and blizzard conditions — including a 160-mile stretch of Interstate 80.

An estimated 200,000 customers were left without power at the height of the storm, and some communities established emergency shelters to help those without electricity for a prolonged time.


Torn down powerlines near Filmore County from the March storm. (Courtesy of the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office via the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency)


Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/pillen-requests-federal-disaster-for-march-winter-storm-first-nebraska-request-of-2025/