Tornadoes ripped through parts of Nebraska and Iowa on Friday, causing extensive damage to hundreds of homes and buildings, and leaving at least three people injured, according to multiple reports.
The suburbs northwest of Omaha, a city of 485,000 population, are among the hardest-hit regions, with strong tornadoes destroying hundreds of houses and structures, mostly in the Elkhorn area.
Police and firefighters went door-to-door to help people. Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bossman said they planned to conduct a detailed search of the area, “starting with the properties with most damage.”
“We’ll be looking throughout properties in debris piles, we’ll be looking in basements, trying to find any victims and make sure everybody is rescued who needs assistance,” she told reporters.
Eppley Airfield said the airport was briefly closed due to the tornado and passengers within the terminal were placed in storm shelters. The airport was later reopened to aircraft operations at 5.59 p.m.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said that he has directed state resources to be mobilized to assist with the emergency response and support local first responders as they assess the extent of the damage.
“Nebraskans are no strangers to severe weather and, as they have countless times before, Nebraskans will help Nebraskans to rebuild,” he added.
The National Weather Service received reports of damage from several areas in Nebraska and Iowa. The agency stated that a “very large tornado” has been reported in the small city of Minden, Iowa.
There have been no immediate reports of fatalities. Authorities said that at least three people were injured in Nebraska’s Lancaster County when a tornado struck an industrial building, causing it to collapse.
The forecast for Saturday was ominous. The Weather Service also issued tornado watches across parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Forecasters warned that large hail and strong wind gusts were possible.
