Nebraska and Iowa: Severe Tornado Damage in US

According to US media, the “most destructive” of several tornadoes was reported the previous day through a rural area near the city of Omaha (Nebraska), population 485,000. The tornado also left a trail of destruction in the small town of Minden in the neighboring US state of Iowa, where hundreds of homes were damaged and some were leveled.

Elkhorn, west of Omaha, also suffered major damage, according to Neil Bonacci of the US city police, according to CBS. Even there you can “clearly see the path of the hurricane.” Officials said some injuries were reported, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. As US media reported, many people were rescued from the collapsed buildings.

Rescuers are going door to door

Police and firefighters went door-to-door to help people, searching for victims in hard-hit areas, Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bassman said. “We will search for victims in the rubble and basements of all properties and ensure that anyone who needs assistance is rescued.

“People were alerted, and that saved lives,” Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said of some of the more serious injuries. A tornado warning was issued for the Omaha area Friday afternoon as children were leaving school. In many schools, students were moved to safer places until the storm passed.

In Lancaster County, reports say about 70 people have been rescued from a factory building that collapsed in the storm. According to officials, one train even overturned. Thousands of people were without power in the Omaha area alone. Nebraska Governor Jim Billon said

Tornado warning for several US states

A total of at least 60 tornadoes and violent tornadoes were reported across five US states on Friday, according to CNN. According to forecasts, the severe storm will last until Sunday. About 50 million people are affected by severe weather warnings. According to the US National Weather Service (NWS), tornado warnings affected Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas on Saturday. Warnings are issued for hurricane-force winds, but also for violent hail. According to the US weather agency NOAA, “strong tornadoes” are possible, especially from northern Texas to Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas.