Deadly twin tornadoes rip through Nebraska town
Two twisters destroy more than half of the tiny town of Pilger, in Nebraska, killing a five-year-old child and injuring at least 19 people
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The Telegraph // 7:54AM BST 17 Jun 2014
A powerful storm with tornadoes ripped through
northeast
Nebraska on Monday, destroying more than half of the tiny town of
Pilger, killing a 5-year-old child and injuring at least 19 people, hospital
and emergency officials said.
The National Weather Service said dual twisters touched down within roughly a
mile (1.6 kilometers) of each other.
Storm chaser Terrence Cook
caught the twin tornadoes on camera while filming from his car. At one point
it appeared as if the two twisters merged into a "super wedge".
Emergency crews and residents spent the evening sorting through demolished
homes and businesses in the community of about 350.
"More than half of the town is gone - absolutely gone," Stanton
County Commissioner Jerry Weatherholt said. "The co-op is gone, the
grain bins are gone, and it looks like almost every house in town has some
damage. It's a complete mess."
Victims were taken to three regional hospitals. The Stanton County Sheriff's
Office confirmed late Monday that the person killed was a 5-year-old child.
It didn't specify the child's gender.
Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger estimated that 50 to 75 percent of Pilger was heavily damaged or destroyed in the storm. The local school is likely beyond repair, he said.
Tim Nelson searches for survivors in Pilger, Neb., after the town was hit by a tornado Monday. (Ryan Soderlin/Omaha World-Herald/Associated Press) |
Authorities said the first tornado touched down around 3:45 p.m. and downed several power lines before it leveled a farmhouse. Four people were trapped inside.
The dual tornadoes were unusual because both appeared to have roughly the same strength. In most cases, one tornado tends to be larger and more powerful than the other, and the bigger cyclone grows stronger as the smaller one weakens.
"It's less common for two tornadoes to track together for so long, especially with that same intensity," said Barbara Mayes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley. "By no means is it unprecedented. But we don't see it often."
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