 
Published Thursday
Valley-Area Storm Tripped County Sirens BY JAMES IVEY WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER A tornado warning for the northwest corner of Douglas County prompted the siren blasts that most of the metropolitan area heard starting about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. That's because if a storm siren is sounded for one portion of Douglas, the siren network is set up to sound all sirens in the county, said Larry Lavelle, operations manager of the city-county communications center. That happened Wednesday night when radar showed that a possible tornado might come close to Valley in northwest Douglas County, said the National Weather Service in Valley. The policy was adopted about 10 years ago, Lavelle said. It might be changed with modifications that the center plans in the future, he said. Although tornadoes missed the Omaha area, lightning strikes started several house fires, including one about midnight that caused $10,000 to $15,000 in damage to a home at 2731 N. 41st St., said Omaha Fire Capt. Charlie Neumann. Nolan Windom was in the living room of the house when the lightning struck: "I just heard a loud explosion, and then saw sparks through a window." Windom said he grabbed his dog and ran outside. He saw flames engulfing a second-floor window air conditioner. |