June 14, 2001

Tornadoes Touch Down in Eastern Nebraska

It was a busy night for many parts of eastern and central Nebraska. The National Weather Service issued numerous tornado warnings Wednesday night as a series of thunderstorms roared across Nebraska, setting off tornadoes and hail storms that pounded crops and property. 

Damage was reported north, east and south of Seward. A tornado was confirmed in northwest Lancaster and law officers reported what was described as a very large tornado between Seward and Malcolm. However, as of Wednesday night, damage reports had been received in Lancaster County. 

A twister also touched down just east of Seward. A woman was injured as the destructive winds and debris ripped her home off it's foundation and smashed it into a combine a half-mile away. Several large propane tanks were knocked over sending thousands of gallons of fuel into the air. Emergency crews remained on the scene for hours trying to patch all the holes.

Governor Surveys Tornado Damage in Seward 

Governor Mike Johanns has declared 11 counties, including Seward county, a disaster area. He is working to make emergency funds available for cleanup and recovery efforts. The governor spent Thursday morning in Seward touring the damaged areas. 

One home was moved completely off it's foundation and several other homes, vehicles and other buildings were severely damaged. One woman was hospitalized with minor injuries, but looking at the damage it's lucky nobody was killed. Clean-up efforts are already underway this morning. 

Governor Johanns toured the region getting a first hand look at how destructive Wednesday night's tornado was. What he saw was downed power lines and trees, hail damage and a home that was nearly wiped out by this strong twister. 

Highway 34 remains closed at this as cleanup from this tornado continues. The power company is also working at restoring power. Flooding also caused some problems and closed Highway 15 for a short time early Thursday morning.