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Nebraska, Iowa communities recover from devastating tornado outbreak

Photo courtesy of Douglas County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

Farmers and ranchers in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa are recovering from Friday’s outbreak of some powerful tornadoes.

“There was a point time where I could basically see five tornadoes at once from my house,” Minden, Iowa farmer Kevin Ross said.

Ross says his rural community was leveled. “It’s a sobering experience, I’ll tell you that,” he said. “Your heart goes out for all of your friends and neighbors that lost their homes and livelihoods.”

Paul Johnson is the emergency management director in Douglas County, Nebraska. He tells Brownfield some of the county’s agricultural areas were hit. “There’s been some homes, outbuildings, and barns destroyed,” Johnson said. “I believe we’ve had a small number of livestock losses. The ranchers and farmers are a self-sufficient group. They’ve got the equipment to take care of their properties, and they are doing a great job of that I might add.”

AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys says the widespread storm system caused a remarkable 42 tornado warnings to be issued by the National Weather Service in Omaha. “For one office to issue that many (warnings) in one day, that is a rarity to see,” Roys said.

The tornadoes also hit some heavily populated areas in Nebraska including Elkhorn, Bennington, and Eppley Airfield.

AUDIO REPORT: Nebraska, Iowa communities recover from devastating tornado outbreak