GREENFIELD, Iowa — Cleanup efforts were well underway Wednesday after a series of tornadoes and powerful storms ripped through several Midwestern states, killing residents and injuring dozens more, even as authorities continued to count Iowans. The injured in a small town in southwestern Huahua state.
Greenfield was severely damaged as one of more than a dozen suspected tornadoes that struck the state on Tuesday. Early reports from the National Weather Service Des Moines office said the damage was consistent with at least an EF-3 tornado, which means wind gusts of 136 to 165 mph.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety confirmed late Wednesday that a tornado that struck Greenfield on Tuesday killed four people and injured at least 35 others.
One death was confirmed near Greenfield, Iowa, about 30 miles southwest, where authorities said a woman's car was blown off the road. About 10 miles away in Prescott, Iowa, a tornado left several damaged wind farm turbines.
“It should be noted that it is believed the number of injuries may be higher, but these numbers only reflect patients treated at designated alternative care sites,” the department said in a statement. “At least 14 patients were treated by various EMS Services are delivered to out-of-county medical facilities.”
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds visited some of the devastated areas on Wednesday, pledging state aid to help rebuild homes and lives. Reynolds praised residents for their attitude and efforts. “They're moving forward,” she said. “The cleanup that's been done is incredible.”
Luke Daughenbaugh was outside his home in Greenfield when the tornado struck.
“It put me on the ground and I curled up in a fetal position. Pretty soon the garage wall was on top of me,” Dougenbaugh said Wednesday. “I thought I was going to die there.
Tornadoes, storm damage and power outages were also reported in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. The National Weather Service is reviewing nearly two dozen tornado reports in the four states, where 100,000 homes and businesses were without power early Wednesday.
The storm is the latest in a string of severe weather sweeping the Midwest since eight people died in the Houston area last week. More than 70,000 Texas homes and businesses were still without power Wednesday. More dangerous weather is expected in the coming days from Texas to New England.
Weather.com warns that rounds of severe weather will target the Plains, Midwest and South Central through Memorial Day weekend. Tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, damaging winds and flooding rainfall are all possible.
“Much of the central states will face at least some severe weather this weekend and into the weekend, giving weary residents no rest,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Glenny.
Many people died and extensive damage:Powerful tornado hits Iowa
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∎ In Minnesota, the National Weather Service is conducting a storm survey in Winona County after reports of a possible tornado in the county. County resident Karl Erickson told KTTC-TV: “I heard a loud roar and I thought it was a freight train, and then I saw a funnel cloud rising over my neighbor. barn.
∎ In Illinois, high winds downed trees and caused power outages in some areas around Chicago. The dust storm closed several interstate highways and prompted travel alerts in at least six counties.
Iowa State Patrol: 'There's still a long way to go before the town.'After the tornado
The community of Greenfield, a town of about 2,000 people, came together after the storm. On Wednesday, residents assessed the damage, searched for belongings and cut down downed trees.
Reynolds said dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed and farmland was severely damaged. She estimated the damage would be in the millions of dollars.
Sgt. Iowa State Patrol spokesman Alex Dinkla said the community showed incredible solidarity, with neighbors and friends showing compassion, empathy and support. “This town has a long road ahead of us, but if their actions today are any indication of what's to come, they will emerge stronger and more united than ever,” he said.
In Wisconsin, the village of Unity lives up to its name, as hundreds of people banded together Wednesday to help their neighbors after an EF1 tornado struck the area the night before.
Shacks throughout the village were razed to the ground; silo and barn doors collapsed; trees fell down on many houses. Residents from across central Wisconsin are helping neighbors clear downed trees, broken metal and other debris in the small community.
People didn't even wait for the storm to end before leaving their homes to ask who needed help and how they could help, Village Mayor Melissa Brost told USA TODAY Network Wisconsin. Some neighbors also helped each other get out of the damaged homes, Brost added.
East Coast cities brace for storm
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said scattered thunderstorms will move along a path from the Rio Grande River in Texas to the St. Lawrence River in New York on Wednesday night. A 2,000-mile-long swath stretches, some of which are capable of producing several tornadoes. AccuWeather warned that northern Texas, southern Oklahoma and Arkansas will become “hotbeds” for thunderstorm development in the short term.
AccuWeather said Thursday could bring severe thunderstorms to the East, from Boston to New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and the Raleigh, North Carolina, metro area. Friday's downpours in cities including Dallas, Nashville, Cincinnati and Chicago could reduce visibility, create standing water and slow movement.
Some Wisconsin homes could stay dark for days
Nearly 30,000 people in Wisconsin were without power early Wednesday afternoon after a powerful storm system swept through much of the state overnight, bringing damaging winds of up to 70 mph. Authorities are assessing damage across the state.
The largest outage occurred in the Madison area, where public schools were closed Wednesday. Madison Gas and Electric warns some residents could be in the dark for days.
“Extensive damage from this storm included numerous broken utility poles, downed trees, branches and power lines,” the company said in a statement. “Repairing a single broken utility pole typically takes the better part of a workday.
– David Cleary, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Iowa woman's home destroyed 56 years after grandparents lost house
A tornado ripped through towns in Cambridge, Nevada, and Colorado on Tuesday night, downing power lines, damaging homes and scattering debris across the region, authorities in Story County, Iowa, said. Less than two hours later, Joan and Larry Hansack were on the scene, removing valuables from the rubble.
June Handsacker's grandparents lost their home in the 1968 tornado, and her grandfather was trapped in a car for three days, she said. On Tuesday, Joan was in her dining room when the tornado roared through. She and her husband had to crawl through rubble to escape. Joan said she and her husband knew they were lucky not to suffer any harm. They believed God was taking care of them.
“Teaching Sunday school is worth it!” she said.
– Addison Lassers, Celia Bullock and Kate Keeley, The Ames Tribune
Much of Greenfield was razed, but the courthouse survived
Reynolds stopped to view the damage in Greenfield, apparently the hardest-hit area in the state. The center of the southwest Iowa town of 2,000 people was almost completely razed to the ground. Many houses were left with nothing more than piles of splintered wood, siding and ruined furniture. Trees were uprooted or stripped of their bark. Hospitals were damaged, power lines were downed and dozens of emergency vehicles were parked on streets, impassable.
Authorities were forced to set up makeshift medical centers at logging sites and send some of the injured to other area facilities. State Representative Ray Sorensen said some residents used their own vehicles to transport the injured to safety.
“We pulled a guy out of the rubble, put him on a makeshift stretcher we made and threw him in the back of a truck,” he said.
Dinkla said the tornado appeared to move through the southwest side of Greenfield. The historic town square, Warren Opera House and courthouse appeared to be unaffected, he said.
Iowa governor declares disaster emergency
More than 3 inches of rain fell in parts of Iowa, and the National Weather Service issued multiple flood warnings across Iowa as rivers and creeks rose. Reynolds declared a disaster emergency for 15 Iowa counties. This is the second tornado the state has experienced in a month. On April 26, more than a dozen tornadoes struck Iowa.
“I've lived here my whole life. I'm just praying that everybody's safe, everybody's safe, no one's hurt,” Greenfield resident Valerie Warrier told CBS affiliate KCCI as she stood near the demolished home. . “It's scary, very scary.”
Hurricane season is here and it can be bad
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will release its outlook for the 2024 hurricane season on Thursday, and troubling news is expected.
Weather experts say unusually warm waters in key areas of the Atlantic basin could herald a slew of and possibly record-breaking hurricanes in the upcoming hurricane season, which begins June 1 and runs through November.
Equally concerning is the potential for significant damage from the rapid intensification of these storms. Accuweather said its meteorologists are concerned about the threat to life and property in coastal communities from tropical storms and hurricanes that can increase wind speeds by at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less, prompting government officials to and when the public must be informed.
Accuweather hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said the public is typically urged to prepare for hurricanes that are one level higher than the forecast category. “However,” he said, “when a tropical storm or hurricane intensifies rapidly, there is a danger that the storm can become much more powerful, dangerous and destructive than what a first-level buffer would be capable of.”
Contributors: Lee Rood and Zach Boyden-Holmes, The Des Moines Register; Caitlin Shuda, USA TODAY Network-Wisconsin; Reuters
