Thousands of people expected to spend days in the dark following Friday’s furious storms, and some lost pieces of their homes.
The weather wreaked unexpected havoc on much of eastern Nebraska, twisting trees, leveling power poles and knocking out electric service to as many as 100,000 homes.
Many remained without power Saturday night, including 25,000 in the Omaha area, more than a thousand in Beatrice and rural Gage and Lancaster counties, hundreds in Plattsmouth and a handful in Lincoln.
Storm watchers officially tallied at least five tornadoes, including a brief touchdown in the Capital City, and clocked winds close to 90 mph in some places — yet state officials knew of no injuries related to the storms as of Saturday night.
In the Omaha area, the National Weather Service confirmed that a pair of tornadoes had ripped through Bellevue, one crossing four neighborhoods and the Missouri River, and the other cutting three miles through Offutt Air Force Base.
The Lincoln tornado touched down without warning on open land at the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s East Campus near 48th and Leighton streets. It caused no damage, but remained on the ground long enough for someone to capture video.
No sirens sounded because the Weather Service never issued a tornado watch or warning for Lincoln on Friday night, said Jim Davidsaver, emergency management director for Lancaster County.
Officials weren’t aware of Friday’s twister until it had dissipated, and Lancaster County only uses its sirens during warnings or if sightings are reported by at least two storm spotters.
“A 39-second event did not give us the opportunity to activate sirens,” Davidsaver said.
Two more confirmed tornadoes touched down in the northeastern part of the state, including one in Madison and another east of Hoskins that damaged several farmsteads along the line between Wayne and Stanton counties.
The power outages were widespread.
About 1,200 homes lost electric service in Lincoln Friday night, and two dozen were still without power near the Lincoln Airport as of late Saturday, according to Lincoln Electric System.
Norris Public Power District reported about 1,300 customers still without power, mostly in Gage and Lancaster counties, due to significant damage to poles and power lines. It was receiving aid from neighboring power districts to assist with power restoration.
Gage County emergency management director Tim Stutzman said the west part of Beatrice, south of the river, sustained the most damage.
“All emergency personnel have been working throughout the night to restore power, handle medical calls, clear roads, and check on all other essential functions,” said Beatrice City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer. “We would ask that people are patient as we work through the large number of issues that we need to address.”
By 6 p.m. Saturday, about 400 homes and businesses in Beatrice still lacked power, along with many more in surrounding towns and rural areas.
In Wymore, high winds caused tree damage and a camper tipped over at Big Indian Lake, Stutzman said.
In Plattsmouth, Nebraska Public Power District reported 2,300 homes lost power Friday night. By 7 p.m. Saturday, 370 homes still remained powerless.
Areas in and around Bellevue were hit hard, with the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office responding to numerous calls of structure damage and power lines down. The county 911 system also went down, and dispatchers were sent to a backup center.
Some homes in Bellevue were torn apart, and Offutt Air Force Base requested that only essential personnel report to the base Saturday as crews worked to clean up damaged homes and downed trees.
The storm ranked among the worst ever for Omaha Public Power District, it tweeted said Saturday night. While most homes it serves were expected to have power restored by Monday, it could take until Wednesday to restore power to 1,500 homes.
Virtually all state parks and recreation areas between Fremont, Lincoln and Omaha experienced damage, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. That included downed trees and branches, power outages and minor damage to structures.
Parks were expected to be running as usual by Sunday for Father’s Day activities.
Gov. Pete Ricketts visited communities across the state Saturday to survey damage from the past week of storms and speak with local leaders. He started the tour in Bayard and ended in Plattsmouth.
Trees will be the biggest long-term loss statewide, said Cody Thomas, spokesman for the Nebraska State Patrol.
“Especially in the eastern part of the state, where so many trees were down, I think that loss will be felt for quite some time,” he said.
From staff and wire reports
Jun 17, 2017
