Midwest tornadoes leave widespread damage across Nebraska, Iowa
A wave of at least six tornadoes that meteorologists called “historic” swept across eastern Nebraska, on Friday afternoon during a multi-day severe weather outbreak over the Plains, damaging hundreds of homes and other structures. Some injuries were reported but there were no immediate reports that anyone was killed.
Multiple tornadoes were reported on Friday, but the most destructive storm moved from a largely rural area into suburbs north-west of Omaha, a city of 485,000 people. But as of late Friday, officials had confirmed no serious injuries or deaths from some of the worst storms to hit the Omaha area since the May 1975 tornadoes that killed three people, injured hundreds.
The National Weather Service office in Omaha even issued a rare Tornado Emergency, which warned of the life-threatening weather event. Many schools had students shelter in place until the storm passed. Hours later, buses were still transporting students home.
Nebraska Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Katrina Sperl said That damage reports were just starting to come in. Taylor Wilson, a spokesperson for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said they hadn’t seen any injuries yet.
The multi vortex tornado then crossed I-80 a few miles east of the I-880 interchange, and moved into Shelby County. The tornado may have lifted at some point, but new tornadoes quickly developed with this same storm as it moved toward Tennant, and then crossed Highway 44 west of Harlan, and Highway 59 north of Harlan. The tornado finally ended north of Harlan in northern Shelby County.
