NewsNebraska tornado leaves thousands without power, homes damaged

Nebraska tornado leaves thousands without power, homes damaged

Effects of a tornado in Nebraska

Images source: © Associated Press, East News | Chris Machian

28 April 2024 13:49

Sky News reported that hundreds of homes were damaged, and close to 10,000 were without power on Saturday after a tornado passed through Nebraska in the central USA. According to the local police, there were no fatalities, but many people were slightly injured.

The police reported that the damaged homes are mainly in the Elkhorn region, where rescuers went from property to property to help people trapped under debris.

Tornadoes in the USA

Two residents of Elkhorn, Pat and Kim Woods, took shelter when the tornado was about 200 metres from them.

"We heard it coming. When we came back, our fence was gone. We looked to the northwest, and the whole neighbourhood wasn't there anymore," Pat reported. The whole area north of us is (now) quite flat," added his wife.

According to American media, storms causing tornadoes posed a risk in areas from Michigan north to Texas south. One of the areas most affected by the disaster was the Omaha region in Nebraska.

On the outskirts of Lincoln in Nebraska, a tornado tore off roofs from houses and devastated part of the Interstate I-80 highway. According to a railway spokesperson, many train cars derailed near the town of Waverly after the tornado struck. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen declared on Saturday that it was a miracle there were no fatalities.

In one of the tornadoes that hit Douglas County, the wind speed reached nearly 219 km/h, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Another tornado hit the airport in Omaha.

In the neighbouring state of Iowa, a dangerous tornado in the small town of Minden caused extensive damage. In Pottawattamie County, about 120 residential and office buildings were damaged.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds declared a state of disaster. The threat of severe storms is expected to persist until Sunday, and Saturday may turn out to be the most dangerous day.