Michael Schmidt:Tornado tears through Nebraska, causing severe damage in Omaha suburbs

2025-05-05 19:49:43source:Charles Langstoncategory:News

OMAHA,Michael Schmidt Neb. (AP) — A tornado plowed through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday afternoon, destroying homes and other structures as the twister tore for miles along farmland and into subdivisions. Injuries were reported but it wasn’t yet clear if anyone was killed in the storm.

Multiple tornadoes were reported in Nebraska but the most destructive storm moved from a largely rural area into suburbs northwest of Omaha, a city of 485,000 people.

Photos on social media showed heavily damaged homes and shredded trees. Video showed homes with roofs stripped of shingles, in a rural area near Omaha. Law enforcement were blocking off roads in the area.

KETV-TV video showed one woman being removed from a demolished home on a stretcher in Blair, a city just north of Omaha.

Nebraska Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Katrina Sperl said damage is just now being reported. Taylor Wilson, a spokesperson for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said they hadn’t seen any injuries yet.

Before the tornado hit the Omaha area, three workers in an industrial plant were injured Friday afternoon when a tornado struck an industrial plant in Lancaster County, sheriff’s officials said in an update on the damage.

READ MORE Cyclones and Wildcats will open 2025 season in the annual college football game in IrelandTennessee lawmakers join movement allowing some teachers to take guns into schoolsPublic school advocates again face how to stop school choice in Nebraska

The building just northeast of the state capital of Lincoln had collapsed with about 70 employees inside and several people trapped, sheriff’s officials said. Everyone was evacuated, and three people had injuries that were considered not life-threatening, authorities said.

Sheriff’s officials say they also had reports of a tipped-over train near Waverly, also in Lancaster County.

The Omaha Public Power District reported that nearly 10,000 customers were without power in the Omaha area.

The Weather Service also issued tornado watches across parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. And forecasters warned that large hail and damaging wind gusts were possible.

___

Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas.

More:News

Recommend

Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches

Jamie Foxx's birthday dinner took a surprising turn on Friday the 13th.The "Collateral" actor was hi

Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages

Meta says most issues have been resolved after apps like Instagram, Facebook and Threads were experi

Drone operators worry that anxiety over mystery sightings will lead to new restrictions

Drones for commercial and recreational use have grown rapidly in popularity, despite restrictions on