As of April 26, 2024, Nebraska has officially topped the charts with some of the most destructive tornadoes to ever be seen in the state. With a maximum wind speed having reached almost 200 mph this past week, five people have died, and hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed; reduced to nothing but rubble.
“I have family in central Nebraska; they live in a small town called Ord, the closest major city being Omaha,” Science National Honors Society Sponsor, and science teacher Andrew Riggleman said. “Unfortunately, they do have a significant amount of experience with tornadoes. The state of Nebraska experiences on average 52 tornadoes per year.”
The citizens of Nebraska have experienced hardship the majority of April as over 100 tornados rips through the state leaving only destruction in its wake. On April 29th, 2024, 23 tornados hit central U.S. with wind speeds up to 170mph. Coupled with these intense wind speeds, hail has also been reported in states such as Kansas at the same as a small needle tornado.
“We’re very fortunate living in this area that we’re fairly sheltered from major storms… but it’s not uncommon to experience some of the effects of hurricanes from time to time,” Riggleman said. “Earlier this spring, wildfires spread throughout northwestern Virginia and parts of West Virginia… The fires spread to within miles of my home… I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose everything, let alone if everyone in your area lost everything as well.”
