UPROOTED TREES, KNOCKED-OFF ROOFS AND LEVELLED HOMES: DOZENS OF TORNADOES WREAK HAVOC IN CENTRAL US

Dozens of tornadoes tore through central US late on Friday leading to the collapse of buildings while several homes were razed and at least five people have been left injured in Nebraska and Iowa.

The National Weather Service says that at least 70 tornadoes were recorded across the country with the most hitting Omaha, a transportation hub in Nebraska.

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

Destruction caused by tornadoes

Uprooted trees, knocked-off roofs and levelled homes, people in the central US will require some time to recover from the destruction caused by the tornadoes.

In Omaha, a tornado led to the collapse of an industrial building, injuring at least three people and prompting an emergency response call from authorities.

The sheriff's office said that while the injured people were rushed to the hospital, roughly 70 people were left trapped inside the building.

Authorities also received calls about a derailed train in one of Nebraska's villages Waverly.

Hundreds of houses sustained damage in Omaha, mostly in the Elkhorn area in the western part of the city, Omaha police Lt. Neal Bonacci said.

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

In one area of Elkhorn, dozens of newly built, large homes were damaged. At least six were wrecked, including one that was leveled, while others had the top half ripped off.

The tornado warning was issued in the Omaha area on Friday afternoon just as children were due to be released from school. Many schools had students shelter in place until the storm passed. Hours later, buses were still transporting students home.

Omaha airstrip shut off

The hard-to-predict tornadoes ripped through Omaha's Eppley Airfield, which temporarily closed the facility.

The airport said that while passengers were placed in storm shelters to avoid any untoward incident, authorities say that the terminal was largely unaffected but “a number of buildings in the General Aviation area on the east side of airport property sustained damage.”

No injuries were reported at the airport but videos on social media show airplanes bearing the brunt of the storm.

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

With inputs from agencies

2024-04-27T03:08:33Z dg43tfdfdgfd