South-Carolina

Midwest tornadoes cause severe damage in Omaha suburbs

Published

2 weeks ago

April 26, 2024

Midwest tornadoes cause severe damage in Omaha suburbs

Updated April 26, 2024 at 8:50 PM ET

OMAHA, Neb. — A tornado plowed through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday afternoon, damaging hundreds of homes and other structures as the twister tore for miles along farmland and into subdivisions. Injuries were reported but it wasn’t yet clear if anyone was killed in the storm.

Multiple tornadoes were reported in Nebraska 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 heavily damaged homes and shredded trees. Video showed homes with roofs stripped of shingles, in a rural area near Omaha. Law enforcement were blocking off roads in the area.

Hundreds of houses sustained damage in Omaha, mostly in the Elkhorn area in the western part of the city, police Lt. Neal Bonacci said.

Police and firefighters are now going door-to-door helping people who are trapped.

Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bossman said crews had gone to the “hardest hit area” and had a plan to search anywhere someone could be trapped.

“They’re going to be putting together a strategic plan for a detailed search of the area, starting with the properties with most damage,” Bossman said. “We’ll be looking throughout properties in debris piles, we’ll be looking in basements, trying to find any victims and make sure everybody is rescued who needs assistance.”

Chris Machian / Omaha World-Herald via AP

Omaha World-Herald via AP

Damaged houses are seen after a tornado passed through the area near Omaha, Neb., on Friday.

Omaha police Lt. Neal Bonacci said many homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

“You definitely see the path of the tornado,” Bonacci said.

In one area of Elkhorn, dozens of newly built, large homes were damaged. At least six were destroyed, including one that was leveled, while others had the top half ripped off.

There were dozens of emergency vehicles in the area.

“We watched it touch down like 200 yards over there and then we took shelter,” said Pat Woods, who lives in Elkhorn. “We could hear it coming through. When we came up our fence was gone and we looked to the northwest and the whole neighborhood’s gone.”

His wife, Kim Woods added, “The whole neighborhood just to the north of us is pretty flattened.”

Dhaval Naik, who said he works with the man whose house was demolished, said three people, including a child, were in the basement when the tornado hit. They got out safely.

KETV-TV video showed one woman being removed from a demolished home on a stretcher in Blair, a city just north of Omaha.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said there appeared to be few serious injuries, in part because people had plenty of warning that storms were likely.

“We not upon by a sudden storm,” Schmaderer said. “People had warnings of this and that saved lives.”

The tornado warning was issued in the Omaha area on Friday afternoon just as children were due to be released from school. Many schools had students shelter in place until the storm passed. Hours later, buses were still transporting students home.

Another tornado hit an area on the eastern edge of Omaha, passing directly through parts of Eppley Airfield, the city’s airport. Officials closed the airport to aircraft operations to access damage but then reopened the facility, Omaha Airport Authority Chief Strategy Officer Steve McCoy said.

Severe weather damage to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb., can be seen from the Lewis and Clark Monument in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Friday

The passenger terminal wasn’t hit by the tornado but people rushed to storm shelters until the twister passed, McCoy said.

Flight delays are expected Friday evening.

After passing through the airport, the tornado crossed the Missouri River and into Iowa, north of Council Bluffs.

Nebraska Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Katrina Sperl said damage is just now being reported. Taylor Wilson, a spokesperson for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said they hadn’t seen any injuries yet.

Before the tornado hit the Omaha area, three workers in an industrial plant were injured Friday afternoon when a tornado struck an industrial plant in Lancaster County, sheriff’s officials said in an update on the damage.

The building just northeast of the state capital of Lincoln had collapsed with about 70 employees inside and several people trapped, sheriff’s officials said. Everyone was evacuated, and three people had injuries that were considered not life-threatening, authorities said.

Sheriff’s officials say they also had reports of a tipped-over train near Waverly, also in Lancaster County.

Two people who were injured when the tornado passed through Lancaster County were being treated at the trauma center at Bryan Medical Center West Campus in Lincoln, the facility said in a news release. It said the patients were in triage and no details were released on their condition.

The Omaha Public Power District reported that nearly 10,000 customers were without power in the Omaha area.

Daniel Fienhold, manager of the Pink Poodle Steakhouse in Crescent, Iowa, said he was outside watching the weather with his daughter and restaurant employees. He said “it looked like a pretty big tornado was forming” northeast of town.

“It started raining, and then it started hailing, and then all the clouds started to kind of swirl and come together, and as soon as the wind started to pick up, that’s when I headed for the basement, but we never saw it,” Fienhold said.

The Weather Service also issued tornado watches across parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. And forecasters warned that large hail and damaging wind gusts were possible.

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South-Carolina

Where South Carolina baseball is projected in NCAA Tournament bracket ahead of Georgia series

Published

28 mins ago

May 8, 2024

Press Room

Where South Carolina baseball is projected in NCAA Tournament bracket ahead of Georgia series

COLUMBIA — With a little over three weeks until Selection Monday, South Carolina baseball is still projected to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament, but D1 Baseball dropped its prediction from No. 10 to No. 16.

Baseball America still has South Carolina as the No. overall 12 seed, the same as last week.

The No. 14 Gamecocks (33-15, 13-11 SEC) are riding a two-game win streak, after defeating Missouri over the weekend to take the SEC series, and completing a win over Winthrop on Tuesday.

Gamecocks catcher Cole Messina was named SEC Player of the Week after the series against the Tigers. Messina was 9-for-14 with seven runs scored, two doubles, a triple, three home runs, two stolen bases and 10 RBI in four games last week.

The Gamecocks will now host No. 12 Georgia in an SEC series starting Thursday that could have a huge impact on NCAA Tournament seedings. The final SEC series for the 2024 season is against No. 1 Tennessee in Knoxville May 16-18.

Here’s a look at where South Carolina sits in the postseason projections ahead of its series vs Georgia:

D1 Baseball’s projection for South Carolina

This week, D1 Baseball projects the Gamecocks as the No. 16 seed overall, first in the region, projected to host No. 2 seed Oregon State, No. 3 seed Georgia Tech and No. 4 seed High Point in Columbia. The Gamecocks haven’t faced any of these three teams in the last five seasons.

Baseball America’s projection for South Carolina

Baseball America’s updated field of 64 has the Gamecocks playing against No. 2 seed NC State, No. 3 seed Central Florida and No. 4 seed Columbia, as the host. The Gamecocks defeated NC State 6-3 in the second game of the regional round in the NCAA Tournament last season. They have not played the other three teams in the last two years.

MAY 1 PROJECTIONS: Where South Carolina baseball stands in latest NCAA Tournament field predictions

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

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South-Carolina

What to know about Las Vegas Aces, including A’ja Wilson, ahead of game at South Carolina

Published

8 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Press Room

What to know about Las Vegas Aces, including A’ja Wilson, ahead of game at South Carolina

COLUMBIA — The two-time WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces will play a preseason game in Colonial Life Arena on Saturday against Team Puerto Rico. Game time is 1 p.m.

Led by former South Carolina women’s basketball star forward A’ja Wilson, the Aces will close their preseason in the home arena of the 2024 NCAA champions.

From Wilson to coach Becky Hammon and guard Kelsey Plum, here’s five things to know about the Aces before Saturday’s game.

Aces forward A’ja Wilson returns home

Wilson grew up in Columbia and is South Carolina women’s basketball most decorated player.

Wilson was on the team that won the program’s first NCAA title in 2017 and was named MVP of the tournament that year. In her senior season, she was selected the consensus National Player of the Year, All-America First Team, SEC Player of the Year and SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Wilson holds the program’s career records in points (2,389), blocked shots (363), free throws made (597) and free throws attempted (835).

In 2018, she was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft. Her success continued at the professional level with the Aces.

Wilson has won two WNBA championships with the Aces and was named finals MVP in 2023. Wilson is a two-time league MVP (2020, 2022), two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and a five time WNBA All-Star.

Aces coach Becky Hammon transforming the WNBA

After spending time coaching in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, where she became the first full-time female assistant in the league, Hammon took over as coach of the Aces in 2021. Hammon and the Aces won back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023.

She was named Coach of the Year in 2022. In her first two seasons, she had a 60-16 (.789) record in the regular season and lost only three playoff games in two years.

Hammon played 16 seasons in the WNBA and was a six-time All-Star. In 2016, had her jersey was retired by the San Antonio Stars (now the Aces). She also played for the New York Liberty.

Aces point guard Kelsey Plum’s work with WNBA rookies

Plum, 29, has dominated the college level and WNBA for nearly a decade and is now working with many young players ahead of the WNBA season. Plum began her “Dawg’s Class” in partnership with Under Armor in 2023. Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson was part of the first class in 2023 and again in 2024 along with South Carolina sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley.

Becky Hammon and Dawn Staley say ‘nobody wants to play us’

After revealing that the Gamecocks’ 2024 season will start in Las Vegas, coach Dawn Staley said that its been difficult forming a schedule because nobody wants to play South Carolina. To Aces reporters, Hammon said something similar.

“We couldn’t get anyone to play us,” Hammon said.

The Aces won the past two WNBA championships, and Staley won her second title in three years with the Gamecocks in April.

REQUIRED READING: How WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, A’ja Wilson scheduled preseason game vs Puerto Rico at South Carolina

Former Iowa star, South Carolina rival Kate Martin looks to make Aces roster

Former Iowa guard Kate Martin was drafted by the Aces on April 15 and is hoping to make the final roster.

In the 2024 NCAA championship game, Martin scored 16 points and had five rebounds against South Carolina. In the Gamecocks’ 2023 Final Four loss to the Hawkeyes, Martin had seven points and seven rebounds.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

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South-Carolina

2025 South Carolina Football Target Announces A Commitment Date

Published

15 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Press Room

2025 South Carolina Football Target Announces A Commitment Date

This past weekend, Shane Beamer and South Carolina’s football program landed a commitment from a 2026 in-state offensive line prospect in Anthony Baxter, continuing this recent run of the Gamecocks dominance when it comes to keep talented linemen within the Palmetto State’s borders home. Could that trend be upheld this Summer? Carolina will have a chance to accomplish that aforementioned feat, as 2025 three-star and Gaffney product Shed Sarratt announced on Tuesday that he plans to make his college decision on June 14th in honor of his late Grandmother. Sarratt is rated the 37th-best interior offensive lineman, the 473th-best prospect in the country, and the 6th-best player in South Carolina according to On3 Sports’ Industry Player Rankings.

Along with the Gamecocks, Sarratt has received offers from Florida State, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, and several other Power 4 programs. South Carolina hosted Shed for their Spring game on April 20th and will bring him back to town for an official visit on June 21st, one week after his commitment.

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