Country singer Zach Bryan has joined cleanup efforts in Elkhorn, Nebraska, following tornadoes and severe storms that hit parts of Nebraska and Iowa on Friday.
According to KETV, the songwriter was spotted alongside other volunteers in the community near Omaha, Nebraska.
Bryan was performing at the Wells Fargo Arena for two nights on April 25 and 26 as part of "The Quittin' Time Tour" when the tornado warnings were issued, and a tornado hit nearby Pleasant Hill. The Wells Fargo Arena concourse was closed during the warning, the Iowa Events Center said, noting that it had followed established weather protocols.
"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 wrote in an Instagram post over the weekend, adding that he and the band were standing with the community ahead of their two shows at the CHI Health Center Arena April 29-30.
"I am so sorry to anyone that is having to deal with picking up the pieces of their homes and their lives," he wrote. "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."
A destructive tornado moved for miles, tearing up homes and other structures in the suburbs of Omaha, mostly in the Elkhorn area in the western part of the city Friday, Omaha police Lt. Neal Bonacci said.
"You definitely see the path of the tornado," Bonacci said, adding that many of the homes were destroyed or severely damaged.
Another tornado hit an area on the eastern edge of Omaha, passing directly through parts of Eppley Airfield, the city's airport. Officials halted aircraft operations to assess damage but then reopened the facility, Omaha Airport Authority Chief Strategy Officer Steve McCoy said.
The small town of Minden, Iowa, about 30 miles northeast of Omaha, also sustained heavy damage while several people were injured in Nebraska's Lancaster County, when a tornado hit an industrial building, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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