OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) — Residents began sifting through rubble Saturday after a tornado swept through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, demolishing homes and businesses as it moved for miles through farmland and in subdivisions, then hitting an Iowa town.
Dozens of reported tornadoes wreaked havoc across the Midwest on Friday, causing a building to collapse with dozens of people inside and destroying and damaging at least 150 homes in Omaha alone.
But no deaths were reported and fewer than two dozen people were treated in Omaha-area hospitals, said Dr. Lindsay Huse, health director of the city’s Douglas County Health Department .
“Miraculous,” she said, emphasizing that none of the city’s injuries were serious. Neighboring communities each reported a handful of injuries.
Tornado damage began Friday afternoon near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several people were trapped, but everyone was evacuated and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.
One or possibly two tornadoes then spent about an hour heading toward Omaha, leaving behind damage comparable to that of an EF3 tornado, with winds of 135 to 165 mph, said Chris Franks, a meteorologist with the bureau. of Omaha from the National Weather Service.
Eventually, the tornado struck the Elkhorn neighborhood in west Omaha, a city of 485,000 with a metropolitan population of about 1 million.
“We barely made it to the basement and then we heard the destruction continuing upstairs,” said James Stennis, who moved to the Elkhorn neighborhood about a year ago. “Wow!”
Firefighters worked throughout the evening to make sure no one was trapped. Saturday morning, the sounds of chainsaws filled the air. Wood from damaged houses lay in piles. Fences were toppled and trees were skeletal, missing most of their branches.
Staci Roe saw the damage to what was supposed to be her “forever home,” which wasn’t even two years old. When the tornado hit, they were at the airport picking up a friend who was supposed to stay the night.
“There was no house to go to,” she said, describing “total terror” when she first saw it.
Power outages peaked at 10,000, but were down to 4,300 by morning.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds spent Saturday touring the damage and organizing aid to damaged communities. Formal damage assessments are still underway, but states plan to seek help from the federal government.
“It’s an extraordinary miracle that we were able to have this kind of cell, without causing any casualties or human lives,” Pillen marveled at a press conference.
Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson pleaded with onlookers to stay home, saying he and Pillen were stuck in several traffic jams as they watched the wreckage.
“And a lot of that is because there are a lot of curious people who are very curious,” he said. Hanson said law enforcement would be out in force to protect damaged property.
A second tornado then passed over Eppley Airfield, east of Omaha, destroying four buildings housing 32 private planes inside. No one was injured and the passenger terminal was not affected. The airport has resumed operations, although access to areas used by non-commercial pilots will be limited so crew can clean up the damage, the airfield said in a statement. news release.
Franks estimated this tornado to be a slightly weaker EF2, capable of winds of 111 to 135 mph.
“Strong tornadoes, rare tornadoes,” he called the pair of tornadoes that hit the city.
After hitting the airport, the storm moved toward Iowa, targeting the small town of Minden.
Forty to fifty houses were completely destroyed. Two injuries were reported, but none were life-threatening, Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jeff Theulen said during a news briefing Friday evening.
“It’s heartbreaking to see these people who lost their homes, their cars, and essentially their lives, until they have to rebuild it,” he said, calling on people to stay home. gap due to downed power lines.
At Minden United Church of Christ, which survived the storm and became a community center for aid and support, there were plans to take 4×4 vehicles into devastated areas of the city to deliver meals to those who need it, the pastor said. » declared Eric Biehl.
“A lot of people are just in shock,” Biehl said. “Everything is overwhelming now.”
Tammy Pavich, who stores equipment on the city’s western edge, said she “kind of breathed a sigh of relief” after the first set of tornadoes passed through Omaha. Then, she remembers, the storm “hit Minden hard.”
Todd Lehan, a longtime city resident, said he took shelter in a windowless basement. “It sounded like a vacuum cleaner above your house,” he recalls.
Just west of the town of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, a suspected tornado also damaged nearly 20 homes, injuring one person.
The damage was causing headaches for Nebraska football fans heading to the spring game.
“Be prepared for heavy traffic, buckle up and put down your phone,” the Nebraska Department of Transportation warned.
Even as the National Weather Service worked to assess the damage, the forecast for Saturday was worrisome. It issued tornado watches for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. Large hail was also possible. Some schools have canceled proms because of the forecast.
“Tornadoes, maybe significant tornadoes,” were possible Saturday afternoon and evening, said weather service meteorologist Bruce Thoren in Norman, Oklahoma.
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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas and Martin from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Margery A. Beck and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska; Ken Miller in Oklahoma City; Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa; Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington; contributed to this report.
