File image of a tornado
Lorraine Matti | Reuters
On Friday, 79 preliminary tornadoes were reported across six states, most in Nebraska and Iowa, where many homes were flattened and buildings collapsed.
Omaha, Nebraska, Mayor Jean Stothert said in a Facebook post early Saturday that no deaths were reported and there were some minor injuries after a destructive tornado moved through. through rural farmland before hitting the suburbs.
Omaha police Lt. Neal Bonacci said hundreds of homes were damaged, mainly in the Elkhorn area on the city’s west side.
“You definitely saw the path of the tornado,” Bonacci said.
Police and firefighters went door-to-door to help residents and search areas where people might be trapped, Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bossman said.
“We’re going to be looking through the houses in the rubble, we’re going to be looking in the basements, trying to find any victims and making sure that everyone who needs assistance gets it,” Bossman said. rescue”.
Pat Woods, who lives in Elkhorn, said Related pressHe and his wife took shelter but heard the tornado “pass by”.
“When we arrived, our fence was gone and we looked to the northwest and the whole neighborhood was gone,” he said.
His wife, Kim Woods, said their northern area is “pretty flat.”
Two women help carry a friend’s belongings out of their damaged home after a tornado passed through the area in Bennington, Neb., on Friday.Josh Funk/AP
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a disaster emergency for Pottawattamie County after videos posted on social media showed parts of Minden, about 30 miles northeast of Omaha, Nebraska, completely flattened. plane.
Jeff Theulen, a deputy with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, said during a news conference Friday night that 40 or 50 homes were “completely destroyed.” He told reporters there were two reports of injuries, one “quite serious but not life-threatening.”
“The situation is very dangerous right now,” he said. We have closed access to the city, except for the people who live here,” noting that “50% of the town was heavily damaged and then there was light damage everywhere else.”
In nearby Shelby County, about 40 homes were damaged, county emergency coordinator Alex Londo said. He said officials were assessing the extent of the destruction and noted there had been no reports of deaths.
There were also more than 30 reports of damaging winds and 60 reports of hail Friday afternoon and overnight. National Weather Service offices are surveying damage ahead of more severe weather expected on Saturday.
More than 30 million people in Oklahoma City; Dallas; Wichita, Kansas; Omaha; Milwaukee; and Madison, Wisconsin, are experiencing severe weather.
Northwest Texas and Western Oklahoma are under tornado watches Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
“Multiple strong to severe thunderstorms will occur across portions of Oklahoma, Kansas and North Texas today through tonight,” the agency’s Storm Prediction Center said. Facebook post. “There is a potential for strong, sustained tornadoes, very large hail and destructive winds.”
