There are homes that are level in Nebraska and Iowa

Elkhorn, Nebraska, after a tornado struck an industrial plant Friday afternoon: Two injured workers were evacuated and aren’t seriously injured

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.

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.

A man who said he works with a man who had his house destroyed said several people, including a child, were in the basement. They got out on their own.

“We have folks in the terminal that are in shelters right now, but the airport is currently closed,” he said, adding that he wasn’t aware of any injuries. He said there were likely to be flight delays.

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.

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.

The First Tornados and Their Warnings from the Pink Poodle Steakhouse, Crescent (Iowa), Iowa (with Bruce Fienhold, MD, O.C.)

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. There was a risk of damaging wind gusts and large hail.