WASHINGTON — Country singer Zach Bryan was among the people stepping up to help this weekend with cleanup efforts after a tornado on Friday plowed through suburban Omaha, Nebraska.
Kristi Andersen posted a photo on social media of the singer among volunteers working in the Elkhorn neighborhood of western Omaha, a city of 485,000 people with a metropolitan-area population of about 1 million.
"I was a fan before but now even more so," Andersen captioned the photo of Bryan working alongside her teenage son.
Bryan was in town for concerts in Omaha Monday and Tuesday as part of his "Quittin Time Tour."
Andersen's son told the Omaha World-Herald that Bryan's people were saying they didn't want any pictures because he was just there to help like everyone else.
Bryan also posted a photo of the devastation on social media and shared some of his thoughts.
"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," he wrote. "The band and I are standing with you guys as we are playing some shows in Omaha. I am so sorry to anyone that is having to deal with picking up the pieces of their homes and their lives. 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."
While Friday's tornado damaged hundreds of homes and other structures as it tore for miles along farmland and into subdivisions, no fatalities were reported, and fewer than two dozen people were treated at Omaha-area hospitals, said Dr. Lindsay Huse, health director of the city's Douglas County Health Department.
“Miraculous” she said, stressing that none of the city's injuries were serious. Neighboring communities reported a handful of injuries each.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.