Disasters
It is likely that all 93 counties in Nebraska had a disaster declaration at some point during Chuck Hagel's tenure as Senator. A press release dated 11 October 2004 states that 92 Nebraska counties were declared disaster counties in 2003. Nebraska faced several kinds of disasters between 1997 and 2008. Among them: blizzards, flooding, drought (see drought page), high winds, ice storms, insect damage, tornados, and wild fires.
Disaster Declarations in Nebraska 1997-2008
The Tornado in Hallam, Nebraska
On May 22, 2004 a tornado swept through the town of Hallam, Nebraska. One person died, 40 people were injured and most of the buildings in town were destroyed. 2 documents (2 pages)
Disaster Preparedness
Senator Hagel wanted to help people affected by disasters, but he wanted to do so in a way that would be economically responsible. These documents show the work that he did to provide help, and to make sure that there was funding in place to pay for that help. 7 documents (15 pages)
Response to Hurrican Katrina 2005
These documents show some of the preperations the staff made for Senator Hagel before an interview on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There are also press releases on an independent commission to study the response to Katrina and President Bush's remarks on Katrina. 5 documents (6 pages)
International Disasters
The U.S. Senate along with Senator Hagel responded to disasters outside of U.S. borders. One set of documents looks at the Tsunami in Southeast Asia which occured in December 2004. The other documents try to address what the United States could do when host nations refuse to help their citizens and refuse outside aid as well. 5 documents (6 pages)
Guidelines for having a county or area designated a Disaster Area
This document from The Department of Homeland Securities gives guidlines for declaring a county or area a disaster area. It was in the staff files along with disaster requests and press releases, so it is likely that Hagel's staff used it as a reference. 1 document (8 pages)