Tornadoes Hammer Nebraska And Lowa, Leaving Rubble In Their Wake

(CTN News) – Residents began sifting through the rubble Saturday morning after Tornadoes destroyed homes and businesses in suburban Omaha, Nebraska.

In the Midwest, tornadoes struck Friday night, causing dozens of people to lose their lives inside a building and destroying hundreds of homes.

There have been several injuries, but no deaths have been reported. In Omaha, a city of 485,000 people with a metropolitan area population of about 1 million, chainsaws filled the air by Saturday morning. The damaged homes left piles of lumber. Tree branches were missing and fences were knocked over.

After peaking at 10,000, power outages dropped to 4,300 by morning.

 In Elkhorn, Pat Woods said they heard it coming through. It was gone when we came up, and we looked to the northwest and saw the whole neighborhood gone.”

A fire department spokesman said Saturday that the search for damaged structures and homes had been completed. Minor injuries were reported by him. According to Aaron Hanson, the sheriff of Douglas County in the city, gawkers were causing traffic jams and slowed emergency vehicles in a message on the social media platform X.

On X, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announced he had ordered state resources to be made available to help. A tour of the damaged areas is planned with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. In Omaha, Pillen plans to hold a news conference later Saturday.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 78 potential tornadoes were produced during the storm, mostly in Iowa and Nebraska. As of yet, the National Weather Service had not confirmed their strength. However, the Omaha office reported in a message on X that some of the damage its crews were seeing appeared consistent with EF3 twisters. EF3 twisters pack peak winds of 150 mph (241 kph).

During one of the tornadoes, an industrial building in Nebraska’s Lancaster County collapsed with 70 people inside. According to authorities, several people were trapped, but all were evacuated and the three injuries did not pose a life-threatening threat.

Near Waverly, Nebraska, officials reported a train that had tipped over.

Four hanger buildings with 32 privately owned planes were destroyed by a Tornadoes that passed over Eppley Airfield on the eastern edge of Omaha. There were no injuries and no damage to the passenger terminal. A news release from the airport said the airport has resumed operations, although access to areas used by noncommercial pilots is limited so the mess can be cleaned up.

Minden, Iowa was hit by the storm after hitting the airport. A total of 40 to 50 homes were completely destroyed. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reported two injuries, but none were life-threatening, said Jeff Theulen.

Pastor Eric Biehl said the Minden United Church of Christ, which survived the storm and has become a community hub, was planning to take four-wheel-drive vehicles out to devastated parts of town to deliver meals to the needy. Several people are in shock, Biehl said. “It’s all overwhelming at this point.”

She said she “kind of breathed a sigh of relief” after the first round of tornadoes passed through Omaha. She recalled that the storm “hit Minden dead-on.”

Lifelong resident Todd Lehan hid in a basement with no windows.

His memory recalls the sound of a vacuum cleaner on top of his house. DOT warns motorists to buckle up, put the phone away, and be ready for heavy traffic.

As the National Weather Service assessed the damage, the Saturday forecast was ominous. Northwestern Texas and western Oklahoma issued tornado watches Saturday. In addition, FEMA warned that tornadoes could spread to Kansas and Missouri.

On Saturday afternoon and evening, weather service meteorologist Bruce Thoren predicted tornadoes.

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