(LAST UPDATE: 12:19 PM) The National Weather Service has confirmed that at least two tornadoes touched down in Lincoln County last night, damaging homes, vehicles, and power lines, and resulting in four injuries. The National Weather Service has issued their first official statement about the storm, which can be read here.

A tornado warning went into effect for central Lincoln County just after 9 PM on Sunday. Tornadoes were spotted around North Platte within the next hour, including west of town, and south near Lake Maloney. One tornado was spotted by a spotter and by law enforcement near Buffalo Rd. and North River Rd. in North Platte.

A reported thirty-one train cars were damaged by the storms at Bailey Yard, which was in the path of one of the tornadoes. There was also damage to multiple vehicles along Interstate-80 west of North Platte. This image shows the damage done to a semi truck on I-80. The driver was treated for injuries.

Of the four people injured by the storm, two were treated and released and two remain hospitalized in stable condition.

The attached image was tweeted by multiple sources and was originally taken by Jake Burglund. It is of a tornado and power flash west of North Platte.

Volunteers are opening a shelter at the North Platte Rec Center for those affected by the storms.

We will continue to update information as it becomes available.

WELLFLEET, Neb. (AP) – Authorities have released the name of a 31-year-old woman who died after her sport utility vehicle crashed into a school bus in western Nebraska. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department identified her as Shaylynn Hagan, of Wellfleet. The crash occurred a little before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at a railroad crossing on U.S. Highway 83 south of Wellfleet. Deputies say the bus had stopped at the crossing and was struck in the rear by Hagan’s SUV. The bus driver was alone on the bus. Hagan’s 3-year-old daughter was with her. All three were taken to Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte, where Hagan was pronounced dead. Her little girl was listed in stable condition. The bus driver was treated and released.

WELLFLEET, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a 31-year-old woman died after her sport utility vehicle crashed into a school bus that had stopped at a railroad crossing in western Nebraska. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department says the crash occurred a little before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the crossing on U.S. Highway 83 south of Wellfleet. Wellfleet is 23 miles south of North Platte. There was only a driver on the bus. The woman’s 3-year-old daughter was driving with her.
All three were taken to Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte. The little girl and the bus driver were listed in stable condition. The SUV driver had died. Their names have not been released.

Stephanie Miller of North Platte was named executive director of the
Lincoln County CASA for Children Tuesday at the organization’s monthly
board meeting.

Miller, a native of Sutherland, is a 1991 graduate of the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in
English. She served as a legislative intern for the Nebraska State Legislative
Judiciary Committee and was an intern for the Gender Fairness Task Force.
She also was a research assistant/teacher’s assistant for the UNL Criminal
Justice Department in 1990-91.

In 1992-93, Miller was a child support caseworker in the Lincoln County
attorney’s office.

Miller’s most recent work has been as a literature, humanities and
composition teacher for Winter Park Christian School in Tabernash, Colo. In
addition to classes, Miller taught A.C.T. preparation classes for juniors and
seniors and coached the high school mock trial team. She continues to teach
two classes a week via the Internet.

Miller will assume her duties March 15, working 10 hours a week. She will
be working from home until a temporary office can be established in the
North Platte Community Day Care.