Tornadoes cause massive damage to hundreds of homes throughout Midwest: ‘Pretty flattened’

A tornado plowed through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, connected Friday afternoon, damaging hundreds of homes and different structures arsenic nan twister tore for miles on farmland and into subdivisions.

Injuries were reported but it wasn’t yet clear if anyone was killed successful nan storm.

Multiple tornadoes were reported successful Nebraska but nan astir destructive large wind moved from a mostly agrarian area into suburbs northwest of Omaha, a metropolis of 485,000 people.

Photos connected societal media showed heavy damaged homes and shredded trees.

Video showed homes pinch roofs stripped of shingles, successful a agrarian area adjacent Omaha.

Law enforcement were blocking disconnected roads successful nan area.

Hundreds of houses sustained damage successful Omaha, mostly successful nan Elkhorn area successful nan occidental portion of nan city, constabulary Lt. Neal Bonacci said.

Police and firefighters are now going door-to-door helping group who are trapped.

Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bossman said crews had gone to nan “hardest deed area” and had a scheme to hunt anyplace personification could beryllium trapped.

“They’re going to beryllium putting together a strategical scheme for a elaborate hunt of nan area, starting pinch nan properties pinch astir damage,” Bossman said.

“We’ll beryllium looking passim properties successful debris piles, we’ll beryllium looking successful basements, trying to find immoderate victims and make judge everybody is rescued who needs assistance.”

Omaha constabulary Lt. Neal Bonacci said galore homes were destroyed aliases severely damaged.

“You decidedly spot nan way of nan tornado,” Bonacci said.

In 1 area of Elkhorn, dozens of recently built, ample homes were damaged.

At slightest six were destroyed, including 1 that was leveled, while others had nan apical half ripped off.

There were dozens of emergency vehicles successful nan area.

“We watched it touch down for illustration 200 yards complete location and past we took shelter,” said Pat Woods, who lives successful Elkhorn.

“We could perceive it coming through. When we came up our obstruction was gone and we looked to nan northwest and nan full neighborhood’s gone.”

His wife, Kim Woods added, “The full vicinity conscionable to nan northbound of america is beautiful flattened.”

Dhaval Naik, who said he useful pinch nan man whose location was demolished, said 3 people, including a child, were successful nan basement erstwhile nan tornado hit. They sewage retired safely.

KETV-TV video showed 1 female being removed from a demolished location connected a stretcher successful Blair, a metropolis conscionable northbound of Omaha.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said location appeared to beryllium fewer superior injuries, successful portion because group had plentifulness of informing that storms were likely.

“We not upon by a abrupt storm,” Schmaderer said.

“People had warnings of this and that saved lives.”

The tornado informing was issued successful nan Omaha area connected Friday day conscionable arsenic children were owed to beryllium released from school.

Many schools had students shelter successful spot until nan large wind passed.

Hours later, buses were still transporting students home.

Another tornado deed an area connected nan eastbound separator of Omaha, passing straight done parts of Eppley Airfield, nan city’s airport.

Officials closed nan airdrome to craft operations to entree harm but past reopened nan facility, Omaha Airport Authority Chief Strategy Officer Steve McCoy said.

The rider terminal wasn’t deed by nan tornado but group rushed to large wind shelters until nan twister passed, McCoy said.

Flight delays are expected Friday evening.

After passing done nan airport, nan tornado crossed nan Missouri River and into Iowa, northbound of Council Bluffs.

Nebraska Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Katrina Sperl said harm is conscionable now being reported.

Taylor Wilson, a spokesperson for nan University of Nebraska Medical Center, said they hadn’t seen immoderate injuries yet.

Before nan tornado deed nan Omaha area, 3 workers successful an business works were injured Friday day erstwhile a tornado struck an business works successful Lancaster County, sheriff’s officials said successful an update connected nan damage.

The building conscionable northeast of nan authorities superior of Lincoln had collapsed pinch astir 70 labor wrong and respective group trapped, sheriff’s officials said.

Everyone was evacuated, and 3 group had injuries that were considered not life-threatening, authorities said.

Sheriff’s officials opportunity they besides had reports of a tipped-over train adjacent Waverly, besides successful Lancaster County.

Two group who were injured erstwhile nan tornado passed done Lancaster County were being treated astatine nan trauma halfway astatine Bryan Medical Center West Campus successful Lincoln, nan installation said successful a news release.

It said nan patients were successful triage and nary specifications were released connected their condition.

The Omaha Public Power District reported that astir 10,000 customers were without powerfulness successful nan Omaha area.

Daniel Fienhold, head of nan Pink Poodle Steakhouse successful Crescent, Iowa, said he was extracurricular watching nan upwind pinch his girl and edifice employees. He said “it looked for illustration a beautiful large tornado was forming” northeast of town.

“It started raining, and past it started hailing, and past each nan clouds started to benignant of swirl and travel together, and arsenic soon arsenic nan upwind started to prime up, that’s erstwhile I headed for nan basement, but we ne'er saw it,” Fienhold said.

The Weather Service besides issued tornado watches crossed parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

And forecasters warned that large hail and damaging upwind gusts were possible.