For immediate Disaster Response call:
(800) 775-7876On the afternoon of April 26, 2024, a powerful and destructive tornado tore through the communities of Waterloo, Elkhorn, Bennington, and Blair, Nebraska, injuring four people. This was the first of two EF4 tornadoes during a major outbreak between April 25 and 28, 2024.
The tornado reached its peak strength in Elkhorn and just south of Blair, where the National Weather Service in Omaha determined it to be a low-end EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Wind speeds reached a staggering 170 mph (270 km/h).
This marked the first violent tornado of the 2024 season and one of two EF4-level tornadoes in April.
On April 26, 2024, a powerful tornado touched down near the Platte River, south of West Q Road in Nebraska. Initially rated EF0-EF1, the storm quickly strengthened to EF2 as it tore through homes and farmland, overturning center pivots and damaging silos near US 275. As the tornado moved northeast, it triggered a tornado emergency. It maintained destructive strength until it weakened slightly as it crossed the Elkhorn River southeast of Waterloo, leaving a trail of damaged homes, outbuildings, and trees.
When the tornado reached Elkhorn, Nebraska, it became violently stronger. Winds peaked at 170 mph as the storm leveled homes and businesses along 216th Street. Initially rated high-end EF3, the National Weather Service later upgraded the damage to EF4 after finding that parts of a home had been completely swept away. The tornado continued into the Ramblewood subdivision, destroying houses with winds up to 155 mph before growing to nearly a mile wide and hitting Bennington with even more destruction.
In Washington County, the storm surged back to EF3 intensity, wreaking havoc on homes, outbuildings, and trees near County Road 29. By the time it reached Blair, the tornado intensified to EF4 again, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying homes. After crossing US 75, it weakened as it entered Iowa, causing minor damage to trees and farmland before finally dissipating after traveling over 32 miles in 61 minutes, leaving four people injured in its path of devastation.
Reconstruction is the work done to repair damages from fire, flood, or other catastrophic events.
The Professionals at PuroClean are the best option for reconstruction services because we understand the scope of the work to be done after water, fire, mold or biohazard emergency services are completed. We offer a true One-Stop-Choice for your restoration and remediation needs.
