Bishop David Wilson of the Great Plains Conference and Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai of the Iowa Conference offer prayer for the families impacted by the tornadoes that hit easter Nebraska and Iowa on Friday, April 26, 2024. The bishops urge United Methodists to donate to the disaster response funds of the two annual conferences.

Dozens of tornadoes damaged hundreds of homes, destroyed businesses and caused injuries in the Lincoln-to-Omaha corridor along Interstate 80, with the strongest twisters appearing to have touched down in the western and northern suburbs of Omaha.

National Public Radio reported that cleanup efforts were underway throughout eastern Nebraska. A tornado touched down shortly before 4 p.m. on April 26 in northeast Lincoln and hit Waverly before storm systems pushed north through Waterloo, Elkhorn and Blair, leveling homes along the way.

Read the NPR story.

The Lincoln Journal Star reported the most damaging of the tornadoes was on the ground for nearly an hour, where it traveled 31 miles and crossed the Missouri River before dissipating near Modale, Iowa. The National Weather Service said it planned additional surveys in the coming days and could adjust its rating for the tornado that hit Elkhorn and Bennington. No injuries were reported, however.