Friday's tornadoes that hit the Lincoln and Omaha areas were part of a large outbreak in Nebraska and Iowa.
The National Weather Service office in Valley issued 42 tornado warnings, which was reportedly the most in one day for one Weather Service office in five years.
The tornado that hit northeast Lincoln and Waverly, causing train cars to be pushed off the tracks and the roof to collapse at Garner Industries, caused, "one of the more notable damage tracks," the Weather Service said.
That tornado stretched from just northeast of Lincoln, through the Waterloo and Elkhorn areas, and all the way to near Soldier, Iowa, in eastern Monona County, the Weather Service said.
In the wake of the tornado that hit areas north and east of Lincoln, many residents spent Saturday cleaning up in the storm’s aftermath.
At 134th Street and Waverly Road, yards were scattered with tree limbs, and power lines that once stood tall along the road now droop down to the ground between the poles that were able to remain standing through the storm.
While homeowners were picking up fallen branches and debris around their properties, Lincoln Electric System worked to repair damage to power lines along the side of the road. The tornado damaged homes, knocked down several poles and broke wires in that area.
LES crews began untangling and picking up wires after the storm cleared Friday evening. Crew Leader Mike Mullendore and his team resumed working on the fallen lines Saturday morning. LES has teams localized to three areas east of Lincoln, working to fully restore power in all areas.
“We are very fortunate that the storm didn’t hit the center of town,” said Mullendore. “The amount of destruction that we’ve seen, it's common for a tornado, but not common for Lincoln.”
LES is working with teams from Norris Public Power District as the cleanup continues. Mullendore said that it is rare to have so many employees working consecutive days, but all are ready to assist and get the community back on the grid.
“Our infrastructure feeds into others, such as the Lincoln Water System, so we are doing everything we can to safely and quickly take care of the damage and let everyone get back to work.”
Mullendore said he was grateful for the community's support and cooperation as he and his team continue to work on the damages.
“Everyone has been very patient and more than willing to get out of the way and let us do what we need to do here,” said Mullendore.
In addition to the area near 134th and Waverly Road, the stretch of U.S. 6 between Waverly and Lincoln was the focus of cleanup crews after the destruction at Garner Industries.
The stretch of highway reopened at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning after being cleared of debris, though some is still scattered along both sides of the road.
The tornado that went through the area, causing the roof collapse at Garner that injured three people, was one of five tornado-damaged areas the Weather Service sent teams to investigate Saturday.
It will likely be several days before investigators are able to determine the number of tornadoes that hit the area, their size and the scope of the damage, but preliminary reports suggest tornadoes hit several areas of central and eastern Nebraska.
In a social media post Saturday, the Weather Service said its teams had found preliminary evidence "consistent with at least EF-3 strength in some areas." An EF-3 rating indicates winds anywhere from 136-165 miles per hour.
In addition to the twisters that hit Lincoln and Omaha, there were reports of tornadoes, either from residents or trained spotters, north of Grand Island, north of Columbus, near David City and near Wilber.
Photos and videos: Tornadoes sweep across Lincoln and Omaha areas
The tornado that hit northeast Lincoln and Waverly, caused train cars to be pushed off the tracks and the roof to collapse at Garner Industries Friday.