Tornadoes destroy homes in Nebraska suburbs, cause damage in Iowa

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A tornado tore through suburban Omaha on Friday, damaging hundreds of homes and other structures across miles of farmland and subdivisions. Some people were reported injured, but there were no reports of deaths at this time.

Several tornadoes were reported in Nebraska and Iowa, but the most destructive storm moved from a largely rural area toward suburbs northwest of Omaha, a city of 485,000 people in Nebraska. Photos posted on social media showed that the small city of Minden, Iowa, about 30 miles (48.3 kilometers) northeast of Omaha, also suffered heavy damage.

Three people were injured in Nebraska’s Lancaster County when a tornado struck an industrial building, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated and the injured were not at risk of losing their lives, authorities said.

Hundreds of homes were damaged in Omaha, primarily in the Elkhorn area in the western part of the city, said Lt. Neal Bonacci of Omaha police. Police and firefighters went from house to house to help people. Rescuers went to the “hardest hit area” and had a plan to search anywhere someone might be trapped, said Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bossman.

“They are going to put together a strategic plan for a detailed search of the area, starting with the most damaged properties,” Bossman said. “We will be thoroughly searching properties for piles of rubble, searching basements, trying to find any victims and making sure anyone who requires assistance is rescued.”

Bonacci said many homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

“You can definitely see where the tornado went,” he added.

In one area of ​​Elkhorn, dozens of large, newly built homes were damaged. At least six were in ruins, including one that was completely crushed, while others had their tops torn off. There were dozens of emergency vehicles in the area.

“We saw it make landfall there about 200 yards (182 meters) away and then we took cover,” said Pat Woods, who lives in Elkhorn. “We could hear it passing by. “When we surfaced our fence was gone and we looked northwest and the whole neighborhood is gone.”

His wife, Kim Woods, added: “The whole neighborhood north of us is pretty flattened.”

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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas. Associated Press writers Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed to this report.