Country music star praised for tornado cleanup efforts while touring
Country singer Zach Bryan has been championed by Nebraska residents for helping in the aftermath of the devastating tornado, which ripped through the area on April 27.
Multiple tornadoes were reported in Nebraska and Iowa, but the most destructive storm moved from a largely rural area into suburbs northwest of Omaha, a city of 485,000 people. Photos on social media showed the small city of Minden, Iowa, about 30 miles (48.3 kilometers) northeast of Omaha also sustained heavy damage.
Some on social media pointed to Bryan helping people salvage what they could from the wreckage.
“Zach Bryan is a real one,” a radio station in a Facebook post, accompanied with photos.
At least 150 homes were destroyed alone in Omaha alone.
No fatalities were reported, and fewer than two dozen people were treated at Omaha-area hospitals, Dr. Lindsay Huse, health director of the city’s Douglas County Health Department, told The Associated Press.
The tornado damage started near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated, and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.
One or possibly two tornadoes then spent around an hour creeping toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, with winds of 135 to 165 mph, said Chris Franks, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Omaha office.
“As an American and someone who lived in Omaha for some pretty formidable years of my life, I want to offer some honest prayers and hopes to the communities affected by the tornadoes that tore through them,” Bryan posted on Instagram. “The band and I are standing with you guys as we are playing some shows in Omaha. I am so sorry to anyone that is having to deal with picking up the pieces of their homes and their lives. Without taking credit from the thousands of people lending a hand who have roots here, we love you so much and we’ll do all we can to help”
Social media was all about Bryan, though.
Bryan and his band were in town for two nights in Omaha at the time of the storm for his “Quittin Time” tour.
Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.