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WASHIMGTON — Dozens of tornadoes tore across the US Midwest and flattened entire neighbourhoods, particularly in and around the city of Omaha in the state of Nebraska.
"Numerous houses" in western Douglas County, outside of Omaha, were damaged by a twister that hit on Friday afternoon, Omaha police said in a statement.
Photos and videos showed buildings reduced to rubble. While there have been injuries, authorities have not reported any deaths so far.
"We've been very fortunate with very few injuries," Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer told reporters during a press briefing late Friday. "It seems like our warning systems in the city of Omaha have been very effective."
Thousands of households were left without electricity in the wake of the storms.
In Lancaster County, to the south-west of Omaha, some 70 people were rescued from an industrial building that had collapsed in the storm, according to media reports.
Another tornado reportedly crossed the Missouri River into the neighbouring state of Iowa to the east of Nebraska, where it caused severe damage in the small community of Minden, among others.
At least 60 tornadoes and cyclones have been reported from five different states on Friday, according to CNN.
The National Weather Service said it expects possible more bad weather later on Saturday, including "very large hail, damaging winds, and multiple strong tornadoes."
While tornadoes are common in some parts of the US, experts say the rise of natural disasters, including storms, floods and forest fires, is also due to climate change.