LOOK AT THIS

Residents of southeastern Nebraska and western Iowa were cleaning up Friday from Thursday's thunderstorms, which packed hail, winds of up to 80 mph and a weak tornado.


Raymondo Brady, left, and Noe Quitoz repair the roof of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near 84th Street and Glenwood Avenue in Papillion.
The storm cut power to thousands of homes and businesses, knocked down trees, toppled semis and chased people into their basements.
The line of storms raced over the region at midafternoon Thursday, and tornado sirens blared across the Omaha metropolitan area about 3:30 p.m.
The tornado caused damage in Papillion, knocking down trees and damaging fences, power lines and sheds. The tornado was classified as an F-0, which means winds ranged from 40 to 72 mph. By comparison, the tornado that devastated Hallam, Neb., in 2004 was an F-4 with winds more than 200 mph, said Van DeWald, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley.
Heavy rain and hail fell over much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.
The storms were most intense from Kearney to Norfolk eastward.
Reports included quarter-size hail in Bruno, Neb., and golf-ball-size hail in Franklin, Neb., said Brett Anderson of AccuWeather, The World-Herald's weather consultant.
Valley recorded 3 inches of rain. Lincoln had just under an inch. Eppley Airfield reported .82 of an inch of rain.
"I couldn't see a half-foot in front of me," said Kelly Ekker, who works at a carry-out pizza place in Valley and ventured out about 2 p.m.
High winds tipped over a semitrailer truck about 4 p.m. on eastbound Interstate 80 in Omaha. There were no injuries, but the eastbound lanes were shut down at the I-80 and I-480 split for an hour.
Another semi was blown over on Interstate 29 near Missouri Valley, Iowa. The driver suffered minor injuries but was not taken to the hospital.
There were no serious injuries among the drivers of four semis that were blown off the road in an area of about 3 miles on I-80 in Adair County. Winds estimated at 72 mph blew two eastbound and two westbound trucks off the road, three of which were still in the median or the north ditch at midmorning Friday, the Adair County Sheriff's Office said.
In Papillion, Bryon Kustka of 1128 Surrey Road found his grandkids trampoline hanging on top of a power pole. Prior storms had blown it sideways but never vertically, he said. "It didn't break any of the wires from the pole, so it must have come down from the top," said Kustka, 70.
A crew from the Omaha Public Power District removed the trampoline with a long pole and restored power to the neighborhood that was short-circuited by the trampolines metal legs contacting the wires.
Two sheet metal walls - both about 25 square feet in size - were dropped into the yard of a home near 72nd Street and the Papio Creek. One of the pieces leaned against the homes door, while the other lay in the timber-strewn front yard.
Dennis Webster, an official with Midlands Community Hospital, 11111 S. 84th St., said the windows were blown out of 15 cars in the hospitals west parking lot.
Workers were busy this morning repairing the roof of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 12009 S. 84th St. Sections of metal from the crown of the roof were blown off.
The Papillion Fire Department building had some structural and roof damage from the storm. The city's parks department also lost several trees, and a baseball field fence was damaged.
Near Papillion's southern edge, farmer Dale Helwig was out in his field today picking up chunks of sheet metal and other debris carried away from his farm southwest of 84th Street and Capehart Road.
The tornado destroyed his 150-foot-long cattle shed and tore the roof off his 40-by-60 machine shed, Helwig said. The storm also damaged his barn.
"You can see where it blew her out and sucked it back in and left it leaning to the north," Helwig said.
Papillion Mayor James Blinn said Friday that the city would operate a disposal site in the parking lot at the Papio Bay Aquatic Center, 815 E. Halleck St., through April 16. Workers will accept trees, limbs and brush daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There was a chance of thunderstorms tonight into Sunday, with large hail and high winds, said Bryon Miller, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The Papillion tornado was about 150 yards wide and was on the ground for three miles. It touched down about three-quarters of a mile south of Capehart Road near 84th Street, just east of Midlands Hospital. It went back up just before it reached Harrison Street.
A tornado also touched down briefly about eight miles west of Nebraska City. Funnel clouds also were reported near Beatrice and in Valley near the offices of the weather service.
"We thought at one time we may have to take shelter ourselves," meteorologist DeWald said, "but it went south."
In Omaha, heavy rain and strong winds caused problems for commuters on Dodge Street, and many motorists pulled off to the side of the road or proceeded slowly with their cars hazard lights flashing. BB-size hail fell for several minutes.
Near the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the tornado siren wailed just before the storm hit. Bolts of lightning were visible striking to the west.
Downtown, workers scrambled for shelter.
Employees at the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters gathered in their tornado retreats in the middle of each floor in the 19-story building, said spokesman Mark Davis. Storm screens were lowered to keep the employees safe in the event of a tornado.
The storm knocked out power to more than 8,600 OPPD customers across the city, although most were in south Omaha to the south of Interstate 80. All had their power restored Friday.
"We were caught up as of 8 this morning," OPPD spokesman Mike Jones said.
Across the Missouri River, MidAmerican Energy crews worked to restore power to 1,600 Iowa customers. Power across Council Bluffs was restored by midnight. About 40 customers in Missouri Valley, Iowa, had their power restored by about 8:30 Friday morning.
Students across the metro area who were still at school when the sirens sounded were sent to shelters inside their school buildings. Buses that were taking students home were diverted to the nearest school or school district building, where the students were sent to shelters.

I am still here

I am still here in Blair and it is a pretty slow area. Well the members are great and they are so willing to help us out. We get to go on team-ups 4 or 5 times a week. That really helps because we don't have a car and the area is so spread out also went to a baptism of a kid that Elder Tracey was teaching and he got baptized in the plate river. Well that is what is good this week.

Well here is what happened

Well there is not that much new here in Blair but we are trying to get something going. Well the area is very big and without a car it is hard to see all the people that we have heard are ready to be thought. Well the mission president thinks that he well try to get a car up there to help us get to those that are ready. There hasn't been a baptism there in about a year or so have a great week.