The question heard repeatedly since Sunday morning's tornado is why wasn't there more warning? The sirens didn't sound until after the twister had already come and gone.

Representatives of Douglas County Emergency Management, 911 operators and the National Weather Service met with Mayor Fahey Monday to figure out what went wrong. The tornado was classified as an EF-2, packing winds well over 100 mph.

"This was a 'stealth tornado' that hit the city without any, with very little warning," said Mayor Fahey. "Again, we're extremely thankful that no one was injured. We certainly have a lot of damage out there. The people who have been severely affected by this are going to be living with this for months to come, so our hearts go out to them as well."

Matt Butler's home didn't receive any damage, but he has lost confidence in his weather radio. "I'm not buying the notion that everybody should just have a weather radio and it will wake you up in the middle of the night because that night it wouldn't have done you any good. Nobody issued a warning."

It was the storm itself that awoke Butler, who managed to get his kids out of bed and get them down to the basement 10 minutes before the siren sounded. “It was really disconcerting that I got my kids down that much ahead of the sirens."

Tornado sirens are not actually intended to warn us when we're inside. That's what weather radios are for. The sirens are for people who are outdoors, like campers.

Like many tornado victims, Michelle and Jerry Foral are trying to put the pieces back together. "It was just an unbelievable feeling to see my house gone,” says Michelle. “Your living room is like, where'd it go?”

The pieces they're trying to put together don't just involve their home. "We're trying to get everything in order here so we can get rebuilt and move back in," says Jerry.

They're trying to put the pieces together of a night when a tornado came down from the sky and why very few people seemed to notice.

Why didn't the sirens sound earlier? "Atmospheric conditions didn't really support tornadoes that night,” says Daniel Nietfeld with the National Weather Service.

“We didn't have any spotters that were able to help us out and the radar didn't really show much circulation so for the most part, it was a very difficult thunderstorm or tornado to warn for."

Here's why. At 2:15 a.m. National Weather Service radar first picked up a bow echo near Gretna with 63 mph winds. Each radar revolution takes five minutes so before the radar came around again, the tornado formed and touched down at 2:17 a.m.

The radar didn’t actually pick up the tornado until its next scan at 2:20 a.m. By the time radar made a third scan at 2:25, the tornado had already lifted. A tornado warning was issued at 2:26 a.m. and the sirens went off a minute later.

"It is an inexact science given the fact that this was really a freakish type of a storm,” says Nietfeld. “This is part of what can happen."

"I don't think things meshed and it's a real short timeline that we have in order to keep people from getting killed,” says Butler. “We better figure out how to shorten that timeline."

Fortunately, no lives were lost this time. The National Weather Service says it will continue studying the storm to see if there is anything it could have done differently.

The first 911 call came in at 2:22 a.m. for a roof blown off near 137th and Jefferson Circle, just west of the Millard Airport.

“911, what is your emergency?” asked the 911 operator.

“The roof just blew off our house,” said the caller.

“Okay ma’am, your cell phone just cut out. I cannot understand you.”

“The roof just blew off our house.”

It’s a call Michelle also made. "And then the sirens started and I can tell you the time was 2:23."

The Forals say they're not blaming anyone. "We weren't worried about the weather and Mother Nature, they said it was a freak storm." They're just glad knowing everyone is okay and also knowing everyone involved did their best.

Some 200 emergency responders were on the scene within two hours of the tornado.

"Between 2:30 and 4:30 a.m., the vast majority of on-duty Omaha Fire Department resources were deployed to assist citizens throughout the city affected by the storm," said the mayor.

"This included over 50 fire engines and rescue squads and approximately 180 firefighters and paramedics. Omaha Police responded with approximately 20 officers to secure the area hardest hit, go door-to-door to ensure the safety of our citizens."

The mayor also said that the City Council will address an ordinance on Tuesday that would temporarily waive fees for building permits as those whose homes were damaged begin to make repairs. If approved, it would take effect immediately and last for 60 days.

"This storm really tested the resources of this city," said Omaha's acting Police Chief Eric Buske, who added that the city responded in excellent fashion.

Most of the serious damage was in southwest Omaha, but tree limbs cracked across the city and thousands lost power. About 1,500 OPPD customers remain without power. The hope is to have power fully restored by late Tuesday.

One of the major efforts now in progress is clearing away the downed trees. Omaha has drop sites at 11th and Locust and at 135th and Potwin. Those locations will be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. through Sunday, June 15th. The Public Works Department will be doing curbside collections of debris for those who cannot access the drop sites.

The mayor said details on how to dispose of debris other than tree limbs, such as damaged furniture, will be posted on the city's Web site.

Sarpy County has a drop site for tree limbs just west of 156th and Highway 370. Follow the signs in the area.

In addition, Douglas County is fielding reports of damage aside from utilities. You can phone in those reports to 504-6641 or 504-6638.