Nebraska: Tornado Touches Down, Destroys Home Near Bennet, Damage Near Palmyra

Nebraska: Tornado Touches Down, Destroys Home Near Bennet, Damage Near Palmyra
Zachary Stieber
10/3/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

A tornado touched down in Nebraska on Thursday night, destroying a home near Bennet and doing damage near Palmyra and Lincoln.

After the tornado was spotted just after 10 p.m. CDT, it moved near Bennet then north of Palmyra, damaging fields and homes.

RELATED: On Friday, A Tornado Destroyed Multiple Homes Near Wayne

The National Weather Service warned people to take shelter during the tornado.

“A tornado is on the ground. Take cover now!” the service warned. Damage from the tornado could include destroyed mobile homes, and flying debris will likely “be deadly to people and animals.”

Jeff Piotrowski, a storm chaser, said via Twitter during the tornado that there is “Large amounts of debris falling from the sky.”

“Flying debris will be deadly to people and animals. Tree damage is likely,” said the service. There was ping-pong ball-sized hail falling, as well.

The tornado destroyed a home one mile south of Bennet and damaged multiple other homes in the Bennet, Palmyra, and Hickman areas. The National Weather Service said that the tornado caused damage southeast of Lincoln.

The tornado destroyed or damaged at least 12 homes, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

“There’s a lot of cleanup to do,” said Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Director Jim Douglas.

Katie McMullen, a resident of Nebraska, told the storm chasing service TwistersChaser: “Cars are destroyed at Wagon Trail. Plus one of the houses that was destroyed south of Bennet lost their roof in the Hallam tornado & now their house is gone. So sad! Reports of people trapped in their houses & emergency management is going house to house down Hickman road checking on families. Very scary situation here!!!”

The tornado warning was canceled at approximately 11:35 p.m. 

 

Here’s a rough timeline of the tornado:

10:08: Spotted two miles east of Hickman

10:15: Reportedly near 110th Street and Martell Road

10:23: Near 134th Street

10:35: In the Bennet area

10:36: Confirmed just south of Bennet

10:51: North of Palmyra, moving down Highway 2

11:03: 1 mile west/northwest of Palmyra, moving toward Elmwood

11:04: At 190 and Saltillo Road in Palmyra, via amateur radio reports cited by the National Weather Service.

11:13:  The service downgraded the tornado to “a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado” in its official bulletin. The storm was near Weeping Water. 

11:48: The storm “produced wind damage in Plattsmouth.”

Story developing; check back for updates