After sweeping over the airport, the tornado crossed the Missouri River and entered Lowa, north of Council Bluffs.Social media photographs revealed extensively damaged homes and uprooted trees, while video footage showed residences with roofs stripped of shingles in a rural region outside Omaha. Roads in the impacted regions were blocked off by law enforcement officers.
A powerful tornado ripped through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday afternoon, causing extensive damage to hundreds of homes and structures as it tore through farmland and residential areas.
While injuries were recorded, it is unclear if any fatalities occurred. The most devastating storm went from a mostly rural region into suburbs northwest of Omaha, a city with a population of 485,000.
Social media photographs revealed extensively damaged homes and uprooted trees, while video footage showed residences with roofs stripped of shingles in a rural region outside Omaha. Roads in the impacted regions were blocked off by law enforcement officers.
According to police Lt. Neal Bonacci, hundreds of homes in Omaha were damaged, particularly in the Elkhorn neighborhood on the city’s west side. Police and firemen are going door-to-door to help stranded residents. “We’re getting 911 calls from people with debris in their basement,” he added. “We are just working as quick as we can to help everyone who needs it.” Bonacci stated that injuries had been mild so far, and he was unaware of any damaged businesses.
Another tornado struck the western border of Omaha, going right through Eppley Airfield, the city’s airport. According to Omaha Airport Authority Chief Strategy Officer Steve McCoy, officials have halted aircraft operations at the airport as they examine any damage in the region. “We have people in the terminal who are in shelters right now, but the airport is still closed,” he added, adding that he was unaware of any casualties. Flight delays are expected, he stated.
After sweeping over the airport, the tornado crossed the Missouri River and entered Lowa, north of Council Bluffs. Katrina Sperl, a spokesman for the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, said damage is just now being documented, while Taylor Wilson, a spokesperson for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, claimed there have been no injuries.
The Omaha Public Power District stated that almost 10,000 customers were without power in the Omaha region. Daniel Fienhold, manager of Crescent’s Pink Poodle Steakhouse, claimed he was outdoors monitoring the weather with his daughter and restaurant staff when he observed a big tornado forming northeast of town. As the wind picked up, he went to the basement, but they never saw the tornado.
