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LIVE UPDATES: One person dead in Minden, tornado clean-up continues Sunday

Aerial footage shows extensive tornado damage in Ramblewood, Nebraska. The NWS is surveying damage throughout the Omaha area, and has found evidence of at least EF-3 damage. An EF-3 tornado contains wind speeds of 136 to 165 miles per hour. Find more updates here: https://www.3newsnow.com/weather/weather-blog/live-updates-tornado-warnings-tornado-watches-and-severe-thunderstorm-warnings-for-parts-of-the-area
Elkhorn Tornado Damage
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OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The 3 News Now team is tracking the latest updates on storm damage and response in your neighborhood.

Helping our neighbors
3 News Now Tornado Relief Fund Red Cross volunteer opportunities Nebraska Athletics raising money for tornado relief

UPDATES

Sunday 3:06 p.m.:

3 News Now has learned one person in Minden, Iowa has died from injuries they sustained during the storm. Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel is working to learn more. This marks the only tornado-related death reported so far.

Sunday 12:45 p.m.:

Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkhorn is offering free hot meals to those affected by the storm, volunteers, and first responders. The church will be offering breakfast, lunch and dinner at the following times:

  • 7 a.m. - 10 a.m.
  • 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
  • 4:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Meals will be provided Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at least until lunch. They are prepared to stay longer if needed.
Sunday 10:45 a.m.:

State police are assisting in Douglas County to help homeowners impacted by storms to keep their property secure.

Wet conditions today will continue affect cleanup and recovery. Read the latest forecast here.

Sunday 10 a.m.:

Washington County Sheriff's Office announced three locations to drop off tree debris. They will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will only accept tree debris. They will not accept other materials, including roofing and appliances.

These are Washington County's tree debris drop-off locations:

  • Intersection of Co Rd 38 & 35 near the Blair Airport
  • 3rd and Grant in the City of Blair
  • Fort Calhoun City Tree dump located at the intersection of Co Rd 47 & 34

Sunday 8 a.m.:

Several sections of NE 31 remain closed in Omaha and north of Omaha. Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson reminded residents Saturday to stay off the roads if possible, to allow responders to access impacted areas.

Omaha Public Power District is reporting 1,862 customers without power in Douglas County, and an additional 88 customers in Washington County. These numbers indicate significant progress in restoring power since Friday.

HOW TO GIVE HELP OR RECEIVE HELP

3 News Now Tornado Relief Campaign
You can donate by texting "OMAHA" to 50155. All donations will stay in the area.

Tornado Relief Fund

The Relevant Center
On Saturday morning, The Relevant Center was at capacity for volunteers. However, those interested in volunteering can head to the center at 7:30 a.m. to help out, as volunteers will continue to be needed in the coming days. The center is especially in need of volunteers with specialty experience, such as in medical care or disaster response, and those with specialty equipment like construction vehicles and tools. All volunteers are also welcome to bring debris removal equipment.

The Red Cross
Those interested in volunteering can search for a volunteer site by zip codeat The Red Cross website.

Nebraska Athletics
Nebraska Athletics is helping with tornado relief efforts after Friday's storms, partnering with Fanatics, Best of Big Red, Lincoln Scheels, and other local stores to sell "Nebraska Together" apparel. Find out more here.

Southpaw Veterinary Clinic
Southpaw Veterinary Clinic is offering to treat all pets impacted by the storms free of charge.

SHELTERS

Common Ground Community Center
Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bossman has announced a shelter is set up at Common Ground Community Center, 1701 Veterans Drive in Elkhorn.

American Red Cross and Salvation Army Staging
Omaha Police say the American Red Cross and Salvation Army will set up to help those who need assistance in the St. Patrick's Church parking lot at 204th and W Maple in Elkhorn.

Elkhorn Reunification Center
Parents can pick up their children at Elkhorn Middle School if their school was placed on lockdown during the tornado warnings.

ROAD CLOSURES

Please check the latest road closure information on the Nebraska DOT closure map before traveling.

REPORTING OUTAGES AND DAMAGE

Reporting a Power Outage

Use this link to the Omaha Public Power District to report a power outage at your property by looking up your account.

Reporting Damage in Douglas County

Follow this link to report storm damage for Douglas County residents.

SATURDAY

Saturday 10:30 p.m.:
Officials estimate that around 180 homes were lost in the tornado that swept through Minden, Iowa, a community of approximately 600 people.

Anchor Zach Williamson and Southwest Iowa Neighborhood Reporter Katrina Markel were in Minden for the Governor's visit and a tour of the devastated town.

Saturday 7:45 p.m.:

3 News Now has launched a Tornado Relief Campaign. Learn how to help families in your neighborhood here. All donations stay in the area.

Saturday 4 p.m.:

Gov. Jim Pillen held a news conference in Omaha with local, county and state first responders and officials. Below are the updates provided in that news conference.

National Guard Major General Craig Strong, Adjutant General for Nebraska, announced that he and Gov. Pillen were working on the governor's emergency proclamation, which allows those in need of support during the recovery phase to receive it. Reconnaissance and assessment of the storm damage is underway by the National Guard, which is conducting a joint assessment with FEMA.

An update was provided by Chris Franks of the National Weather Service. Franks indicated the tornado that touched down in western Douglas County appears to be at least an EF-3. The tornado that touched down at Eppley Airfield and traveled into Iowa was an EF-2. Surveys by the NWS will continue Sunday and possibly into Monday.

Dr. Lindsay Huse of the Douglas County Health Department reported no interruption of hospital operations. Around 18 people in Douglas County were injured in the storm. They were treated and released. No deaths have been reported. Dr. Huse stressed the importance of tetanus vaccinations for responders and those assisting with cleanup. Anyone with minor injuries from the storm who has not yet sought medical attention should see a healthcare provider because they may need a tetanus shot.

Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson is urging people to stay home, and do not drive to impacted areas. Sheriff Hanson and Governor Pillen were stuck in multiple traffic jams on Saturday, which Hanson blamed on "looky loos." In addition, Sheriff Hanson urged anyone interested in helping those affected by the storms to only do so through an organized response, and not try to help on their own.

Saturday 2 p.m.:

Aerial drone video shows the extent of damage in the Ramblewood neighborhood of Elkhorn.

Aerial view of extensive tornado damage in Ramblewood, Nebraska

Saturday 1:30 p.m.:

The National Weather Service reports their survey teams have found multiple areas of at least EF-3 damage, from separate tornadoes. 3 News Now meteorologist Joseph Meyer says an EF-3 has wind speeds of 136 to 165 miles per hour.

Saturday 11:00 a.m.:

Eppley Airfield reports no one was injured as a result of the storm. It is working with aircraft operators to assess the full impact of damage. The passenger terminal area was not affected.

Saturday 10:40 a.m.:

Nebraska Public Power District is sending almost two dozen workers to assist in restoring power in Omaha. NPPD provided the following statement:

Nebraska Public Power District is sending a 22-man team to Omaha to aid Omaha Public Power District in power restoration, following Friday’s severe weather. Two supervisors and 20 technicians are leaving Saturday morning with necessary vehicles and equipment to provide mutual aid. Line technicians responding will be from NPPD operations in Aurora, Kearney, O’Neill, Plattsmouth, South Sioux City and York.

NPPD is also helping Howard Greeley Rural Public Power District install mobile generators to help restore power to their customers. I don’t have any details on which customers or how many customers they may have out.

NPPD crews are making repairs to an NPPD transmission line that had broken wood poles between Albion and Spalding but NPPD did not have any large retail customers outages as a result of the weather.

For those needing to drop off debris today, the Pheasant Point landfill is open until 3 p.m. When dropping off green limbs, please ensure they are cut down to four feet.

Saturday 10:00 a.m.:

Pottawattamie County is reporting four storm-related injuries. Neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel has a full update on storm recovery in Minden here.

FRIDAY

Friday 9:10 p.m.:

Fire Chief Kathy Bossman held a news conference at 9 p.m. and provided the following updates:

  • Two people were injured Friday.
  • No fatalities have been reported. No one has been reported missing.
  • At least 50 properties have significant damage.
  • Searches and evaluations will happen tonight. They will evaluate overall damage to the area, then look at how to best provide resources.

Friday 8:50 p.m.:

Neighborhood reporter Jillian Lamkins shared images of damage near Bennington.

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Tornado damage near Bennington, Nebraska
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Tornado damage near Bennington, Nebraska
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Tornado damage near Bennington, Nebraska

Friday 8:15 p.m.:

As families assess the aftermath of tornado damage, neighbors are offering support. Neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel found a line of cars ready to help a neighbor whose home has extensive damage.

Friday 6:50 p.m.:

Eppley Airfield releases statement on tornado damage

A tornado touched down at Eppley Airfield this evening. Prior to the tornado, passengers within the terminal were placed in storm shelters for safety. The airport was closed upon touchdown of the tornado at 5:08 pm. Though the passenger terminal was unaffected, a number of buildings in the General Aviation area on the east side of airport property sustained damage. There were no reports of injuries. Eppley Airfield was reopened to aircraft operations at 5:59 pm. Passengers should contact their respective airlines for information regarding the status of their flights.
Omaha Airport Authority

Friday 6:44 pm:

Friday 6:15 pm:

Emergency Animal Control Calls

Friday 5:50 pm:

Friday 5:39 pm:

Tornadoes Injure Two People

In a statement, a representative from Bryan Health said:

"The Bryan Trauma Center at Bryan West Campus treated two patients who sustained injuries from tornadoes that touched down in Lancaster County. Both patients are currently in triage."
Brad Colee Senior Media Officer and Multimedia Coordinator, Bryan Health

Friday 5:27 pm:

Friday 5:19 pm:

Friday 4:57 pm:

Friday 2:56 pm:

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