‘I’m home, but I’m homeless’: Tornado devastates Omaha neighborhood

ELKHORN, Neb. (KLKN)- Friday’s tornado left several Nebraska communities in devastation, including an Omaha suburb.

Along with many other homes in the Elkhorn community, the Stennis family home was demolished from the storm.

“As I get upstairs, I look around and there’s no house here. I’m home, but I’m homeless,” James Stennis said.

Stennis and his wife were home when the tornado touched down, remembering the feeling of when it hit their home.

“You could hear the walls and the devastation taking place upstairs,” Stennis said. “Just a mind boggling sound, because what you were hearing wasn’t thunder, it was walls and devastation happening right above us.”

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The foundation of the home was completely demolished following the storm, leaving the Stennis family with nothing as they emerged from the basement.

“And the weird thing about it is, as you round the corner to go up your stairwell, you’re looking at they sky. You’re saying, ‘there’s no roof there, there’s no house up there.'”

On Saturday, the Stennis family and volunteers worked to pick up what was left of their home.

“My initial reaction was, everything that I’m looking at, I put hands on at some point in time. So, everything means something to me.”

Stennis said his aunt offered her car and supplies to help with cleanup, making him emotional for the first time since the devastation.

“Prior to that I was just numb,” Stennis said. “You just say ‘okay, lets get started, lets get started,'” Stennis said. “I like to think I’m Cornhusker strong.”

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