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At least 3 people dead after tornadoes hit Oklahoma, Iowa and Nebraska: NPR


Homeowners in Bennington, Neb., are assessing damage after a tornado passed through their northwest Omaha neighborhood Friday.

Josh Funk/AP


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Josh Funk/AP


Homeowners in Bennington, Neb., are assessing damage after a tornado passed through their northwest Omaha neighborhood Friday.

Josh Funk/AP

At least three people were killed and dozens more were injured in several states after a series of tornadoes struck parts of the South and Midwest Friday and over the weekend.

Rebuilding efforts are underway after severe weather devastated parts of Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa, turning homes and other buildings into piles of wood and rubble.

In Hughes County, Oklahoma, a man and a child died in the storms, according to the county EMS agency. The agency said Sunday morning that it was also treating four injured people, three of them serious.

Love County Sheriff Andy Cumberledge confirmed at a news conference that a truck driver driving through the county was also killed.

At least 30 people were also injured in the town of Sulfur, KOCO reported.

Governor Kevin Stitt said in a video message posted on X on Sunday that he was praying for Oklahoma residents and had “declared an emergency so we can get all the help these communities need.”

Stitt declared a state of emergency in a dozen counties: Carter, Cotton, Garfield, Hughes, Kay, Lincoln, Love, Murray, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne and
Pontotoc.

Part of Minden, Iowa – a small town about 30 miles northeast of Omaha – was flattened by a tornado. Drone footage showed flattened buildings and a trail of debris over a large area.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Saturday she has declared a disaster emergency for Pottawattamie County, where Minden is located.

The National Weather Service reported that Iowa saw at least a dozen tornadoes Friday, half of which were rated EF-2, meaning they had wind gusts between 111 and 135 miles per hour.

Parts of neighboring Nebraska also suffered severe damage from several tornadoes.

Nebraska Public Media reported that a series of tornadoes were confirmed to have struck the Omaha and Lincoln areas, damaging and destroying homes and other structures.

The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska declared a state of emergency Friday after reports that thunderstorms and tornadoes inflicted “significant damage” on some of its members and impacted local businesses and public transportation.

Eppley Airfield in Omaha, which temporarily closed following a tornado’s landfall Saturday, said four hangars housing 32 private planes were destroyed in the storm, but the passenger terminal was unaffected.

Deanne Criswell, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said over the weekend, she spoke with officials in Oklahoma, Iowa and Nebraska and offered the agency’s support.

NPR News

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