Campus Alert Archive
Creighton

EF4 Tornado Devastates Omaha Suburbs as CreightonAlert Warns Campus to Shelter During Historic Outbreak

NEtornadoemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On April 26, 2024, a historic tornado outbreak struck the Omaha metropolitan area with multiple tornadoes, including a long-tracked EF4 that devastated the suburbs of Elkhorn and Bennington. Creighton University, located in downtown Omaha, issued tornado warnings through CreightonAlert as the NWS declared two tornado emergencies for the metro area. Athletic events were postponed and campus operations were disrupted.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Creighton University
Private R2 · NE
~9,000 studentsEverbridgeCreightonAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction241 chars
CreightonAlert: TORNADO WARNING for Douglas County including Omaha. Seek shelter immediately on the lowest floor in an interior room away from windows. Multiple tornadoes have been confirmed in the area. This is a life-threatening situation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The NWS Omaha office declared two tornado emergencies during this event, a rare designation reserved for confirmed, violent tornadoes threatening populated areas
CreightonAlert uses the Everbridge platform to deliver emergency messages via email, SMS, and phone calls simultaneously
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction235 chars
CreightonAlert UPDATE: Tornado warnings remain in effect for the Omaha metro area. Continue to shelter in place. Significant tornado damage has been reported in Elkhorn and Bennington. Do not leave shelter until an all-clear is issued.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The EF4 tornado that struck Elkhorn was approximately 10 miles west of Creighton's downtown Omaha campus
Eppley Airfield on the eastern edge of Omaha was also struck by a separate tornado, closing the airport temporarily
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction253 chars
CreightonAlert: All tornado warnings for the Omaha area have expired. You may resume normal activities. Severe thunderstorm warnings may still be in effect. Continue to monitor weather conditions. Athletic events scheduled for today have been postponed.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Creighton's softball series opener against DePaul was postponed and rescheduled as a Saturday doubleheader due to the severe weather
Context

Background

The April 26, 2024 tornado outbreak was one of the most significant severe weather events in Omaha's modern history. The NWS Omaha confirmed 19 tornadoes across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa from the April 26 event, including a long-tracked EF4 that caused catastrophic damage in Elkhorn and Bennington (initially rated EF3, later upgraded to EF4 with peak winds of 170 mph), destroying dozens of newly built homes. A separate tornado struck Eppley Airfield at 5:08 PM CDT, briefly closing Omaha's airport before it reopened by 5:59 PM the same day. At least 150 structures in Douglas County were damaged or destroyed. Creighton University's campus in downtown Omaha was not directly struck but was under tornado warnings for an extended period. The Omaha World-Herald later described 2024 as a year that shattered multiple weather records for the Omaha metro.
Analysis

Key Findings

The EF4 tornado in Elkhorn struck approximately 10 miles from Creighton's downtown campus, illustrating how metro-area universities can be under active tornado warnings even when the most destructive tornadoes hit the suburbs
The NWS declaration of two tornado emergencies during a single event is exceptionally rare and reflects the extreme severity of the outbreak
Creighton's use of Everbridge for multi-channel alert delivery (SMS, email, phone) provides redundancy when severe weather may disrupt individual communication channels
Outcome
No injuries reported on Creighton's campus. At least 150 structures damaged or destroyed across Douglas County. Creighton softball postponed their series opener against DePaul. Multiple tornadoes struck the Omaha metro, with the EF4 in Elkhorn causing the most severe damage.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    NWS Omaha - Tornado Outbreak of April 26, 2024
    weather.gov
  2. Official
    Creighton Softball Weekend Schedule Shifted Due to Weather
    gocreighton.com
  3. News
    Historic Nebraska tornadoes, storms leave damage in their wake - Nebraska Examiner
    nebraskaexaminer.com
  4. News
    FRIDAY UPDATES: Tornadoes rip through Omaha metro - WOWT
    wowt.com
  5. Source
    Tornado outbreak of April 25-28, 2024 - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
tornadoweatheremergency-notificationnebraskaomahaef4tornado-outbreakeverbridgetornado-emergency
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion