Loup Generator - Spring 2019

Above: Staff Sgt. Joseph Yates looks out the door of his UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during sandbagging operations March 23.
Nebraska National Guard photo by Army Staff Sgt. Koan Nissen.
Top right: Heavy Equipment Operator Kurt Mohr reinforces the sandbag dike on the south side of the canal.
Bottom right: A National Guard Chinook helicopter carries a Bobcat loader to the south side of the canal. Photo by Dan Hellbusch.
Morton.
While the emergency was
overwhelming at times, Hellbusch
said Loup employees always jump
in and get right to work following
storms. He’s seen it time and again in
his 34 years with the company.
“It’s all we’ve ever done,” he said.
“Everybody is willing to pitch in and
help.”
Zarek said working 12-hour days
for weeks with his coworkers was
difficult, but they helped each other
through the struggle.
“It’s like a family,” he said.
Prososki knows it’s a long road,
but he is quick to put the fight into
perspective. Loup Power isn’t alone
in trying to recover from a historic
flood.
NEMA estimates that 95 percent
of Nebraskans were affected by the
March storms.
“We had a family that lost
everything they owned. Other families
did, too,” he said. “Everybody’s had a
loss of some kind.
Despite his loss, Zarek remains
upbeat and positive that things will
get back to normal.
“We’ll get this back together and
life will go on. It will look great,” he
said.
“We just need a little time.”
by Stacy Wemhoff | swemhoff@loup.com
SPRING 2019 15