Nebraska and the Midwest were rocked by a series of devastating storms that spawned several tornadoes, one potentially among the strongest in U.S. history. Now, drone footage is showing the devastation left in their wake.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The storms hit across the Midwest and the Plains on Friday afternoon. The National Weather Service reported at least 42 tornadoes across Friday afternoon, hitting Texas, Nebraska, and Iowa. One tornado tore through Lincoln, Neabraska's outskirts cutting across I-80 and tearing the roofs off several nearby homes. The storm blew over a tractor-trailer. Other tornadoes hit across Waco Texas.
The footage shows the devastation in Elkhorn, Nebraska. Several homes were leveled by the tornado there. It also ripped through several trees in the area. While several homes escaped devastating, those in the storm's path appear demolished.
Emergency Responders Help With Tornado Aftermath
In the aftermath of the storms, communities across Nebraska tried to pick up the pieces. In Omaha, the fire department started conducting searches in local neighborhoods. They had to deal with fallen trees as well as downed power lines and potential gas leaks. Fire Chief Kathy Bossman talked with 1011 Now about clean-up efforts. She said, "Many houses are flattened and many houses also have significant damage."
"We understand the impact of this event on our community." Bossman said. "We understand numerous families are going to be devastated by the destruction of their property."
Meanwhile, the storm damaged several airplanes at Eppley Airfield. However, the strong winds reportedly didn't damage the terminal itself. The storm damaged a few buildings on the property, but it managed to reopen. According to, Jeff Theulen, chief deputy of the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office, the storm destroyed 40 to 50 homes in the area. "It's heartbreaking to see these people who have lost houses, cars, essentially their life until they have to rebuild it," he told AP News.
Additionally, the tornadoes damaged hundreds of homes in the area with Elkhorn getting the brunt of the damage (as you can tell by the video above). Omaha police Lt. Neal Bonacci said the tornado presented a path of destruction. He said, "You definitely see the path of the tornado."
Emergency responders are going door to door in the hardest hit areas to see what they cand do to help. "We'll be looking throughout properties in debris piles, we'll be looking in basements, trying to find any victims and make sure everybody is rescued who needs assistance," Bossman said.
