Massive dust storm leaves trail of destruction

OSMOND — “I’ve never seen anything like it,” That was the comment heard everywhere following the massive wind and dust storm that moved through Osmond late Thursday afternoon, May 12.

It was just before 4 p.m. on Thursday when the skies started getting darker, and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for the area.

Those living out of town saw a massive dust storm moving in from the southwest, and suddenly it was tearing through town. Looking out the window of the Osmond Republican and other businesses downtown, one couldn’t see more than a few feet, much less across the street. Then suddenly it was dark as night, and about that time the power went out, leaving everything in darkness.

Residents recall heading quickly to the basement or other safe location, where the windstorm seemed to last for hours, but was only several minutes. But when it finally stopped, the landscape of the Osmond area was changed considerably.

In addition to the dirt and debris that covered streets and even inside homes and businesses, many large trees were broken and laying across lawns, driveways, roofs, even a pickup.

Irrigation pivots in the country were flipped over, about a mile of powerline poles four miles south of Osmond were snapped off, and a shed and bin on the Connie Anderrson farm were destroyed.

At the Alan Ekberg home on the west side of town, a metal shed behind his house was pulled up and tumbled end over end, hitting a large play set nearby and knocking it over, even though it was anchored pretty good, he said.

In the aftermath, everyone was asking “where were you when the dust storm hit?” much as they did after the flood of 2019, the Thanksgiving blizzard of 2015, or the earthquake that hit northeast Nebraska in 1996.

Tyler Gansebom shared a video of the dust storm that hit when he was just a couple miles east of town.

Luckily, he was close enough that he made it into town, but he said he was only driving about 10 miles per hour. Many people who were in vehicles said they could barely see the hood of their vehicle during the height of the storm.

Most of the buses at Osmond Community School had not gone far before getting called back where the students sheltered in place. One was not able to make it back, but students were able to shelter at Tiger Town Foods. Nancy commended the driver for taking cover. “I felt he did a wonderful job. He did what he felt was right and safe for the kids.”

There was one unconfirmed report of an injury as the result of the massive dust storm, but with wind gusts reported as up to 60 miles per hour, many were saying it could have been a lot worse. That was confirmed by reports of destruction of buildings in other parts of Nebraska, as well as vehicle crashes because of nearzero visibility.

The power outage in Osmond lasted until about 7 p.m. in town, although there were areas that did not have power restored until the next day.

On both Thursday and Friday, evidence of Osmond’s small town spirit was shown by the number of neighbors helping neighbors.

Students from Osmond Community School also came out to pick up sticks and other debris throughout Poolside Park and other parts of town.

It was a scene that people from the metropolitan cities might not quite understand, but it was nothing new here —just people pitching in to help their neighbors in need.