GREENFIELD, Iowa − Cleanup was well underway Wednesday even as authorities were still counting the dead and wounded in this small southwestern Iowa town, hours after a series of tornadoes and powerful storms smashed through several Midwestern states, killing multiple residents and injuring at least a dozen others.
Greenfield was devastated by one of more than a dozen suspected tornadoes that struck the state Tuesday. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds toured some of the devastation Wednesday, pledging state assistance to help rebuild homes and lives. Reynolds, who said she could not yet announce a death total, lauded residents for their attitude and effort.
“They are moving forward,” she said. “The cleanup that has already taken place is incredible.”
Luke Daughenbaugh was outside his Greenfield home when the tornado struck.
“It put me on the ground, and then I just curled up in like fetal position. And pretty soon the garage walls were on top of me," Daughenbaugh 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 was reviewing almost two dozen tornado reports in the four states, where 100,000 homes and businesses were without power early Wednesday.
The storms are the latest in a stretch of severe weather that has been sweeping across the Midwest since eight people died in the Houston area last week. More than 70,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Texas on Wednesday. And more dangerous weather was forecast for areas stretching from Texas to New England in coming days.
Multiple rounds of severe weather will target the Plains, Midwest and mid-South through Memorial Day weekend, weather.com warned. Tornadoes, destructive straight-line wind, damaging winds and flooding rainfall are possible.
"A broad zone of the Central states will face at least some severe weather through the end of the week and into the weekend, allowing for no rest for storm-fatigued residents," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Glenny said.
Multiple deaths, extensive damage:Powerful tornado rips through Iowa
Developments:
∎ In Minnesota, the National Weather Service was conducting a storm survey in Winona County after reports of a possible tornado there. "I heard a big roar, and I thought it was a freight train and I saw a funnel cloud, lifting up my neighbor’s barn,” county resident Karl Erickson to KTTC-TV.
∎ In Illinois, high winds toppled trees and knocked out power in some areas around Chicago. Dust storms closed multiple interstates and prompted travel alerts in at least six counties.
East Coast cities bracing for storms
Scattered thunderstorms Wednesday night, some capable of producing a few tornadoes, will extend along a nearly 2,000-mile-long swath from the Rio Grande River in Texas to the St. Lawrence River in New York, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. AccuWeather warned that northern Texas through southern Oklahoma and Arkansas will be the "hotbed" of thunderstorm development in the short term.
Thursday could bring severe thunderstorms to the East, from Boston through New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and on into the Raleigh, North Carolina, metro area, AccuWeather said. Dallas, Nashville, Cincinnati and Chicago are among the cities downpours Friday could reduce visibility, create ponding and slow travel.
Some Wisconsin homes could be dark for days
Over 40,000 people in Wisconsin were without power on Wednesday morning after a strong evening storm system moved through much of Wisconsin and brought intense, damaging winds of up to 70 mph. Authorities were assessing damage across the state. Three Wisconsin utility companies −Wisconsin Public Service,We EnergiesandMadison Gas and Electric (MGE)− reported almost 44,0000 people were without power early Wednesday.
The largest outage is in the Madison area, and public schools were closed Wednesday in Madison. MGE warned that some residents could be in the dark for a few days.
“Widespread damage from this storm includes numerous broken poles, downed trees, branches and wires," the company said in a statement. "It often takes the majority of a workday to repair one broken pole.”
− David Clarey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Iowa woman's home destroyed 56 years after grandparents lost house
Authorities in Story County, Iowa, said a tornado slammed through the the towns of Cambridge, Nevada, and Colo on Tuesday evening, knocking down power lines, damaging houses and scattering debris throughout the area. Less than two hours later, June and Larry Handsacker were already on the scene, pulling valued possessions from the wreckage.
June Handsacker's grandparents lost their home in a tornado in 1968, and her grandfather was trapped for three days in his car, she said. On Tuesday, June was in the dining room of her own home when a tornado roared through. She and her husband had to crawl over the debris to get out. She said she and her husband know they’re lucky they came away unscathed; they believe that God was looking out for them.
“It pays to teach Sunday school!" she said.
− Addison Lathers, Celia Brocker and Kate Kealey, Ames Tribune
Much of Greenfield flattened, but courthouse spared
Reynolds stopped in Greenfield, apparently the hardest-hit area of the state, to view the destruction. The center of the southwestern Iowa town of 2,000 people was almost completely flattened. Piles of splintered wood, siding and destroyed furniture were all that remained of many homes. Trees were uprooted or stripped of their bark. The hospital was damaged, power lines were toppled, and dozens of emergency vehicles lined streets that were no longer passable.
Sgt. Alex Dinkla, spokesperson with the Iowa State Patrol, said the tornado appeared to move through the southwest side of Greenfield. The historic town square, with the Warren Opera House and courthouse, appears to have been spared, he said.
Iowa governor declares disaster emergency
"While it's too soon to know thestorm's full impact, answers will come in the hours and days ahead," Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said ahead of her visit.
Parts of Iowa were hit with more than 3 inches of rain, and the National Weather Service issued multiple flood warnings across Iowa as rivers and creeks swelled. Reynolds declared a disaster emergency for 15 Iowa counties and pledged state support in rebuilding communities. It's the second round of tornadoes the state has faced in a month − more than a dozen tornadoes pounded the state April 26.
"I've lived here all my life. I'm just praying that everyone was safe, that everybody's safe, and nobody got hurt," Greenfield resident Valerie Warrior told CBS affiliate KCCI TV as she stood near demolished dwellings. "It was scary, very scary."
Iowa death toll still not determined
Dinkla said at a briefing late Tuesday that the exact number of those killed or injured was not yet available, but he estimated at least a dozen people were hospitalized. Drone video posted to social media shows the path the tornado took through town with structures in its path destroyed and cars flipped. Those on the periphery sustained damage, some with roofs completely gone.
Other tornadoes swept through the Iowa town of Red Oak, 60 miles to the southwest, and Stanton, about 10 miles outside Red Oak. The National Weather Service in Des Moines said three survey teams would be assessing damage.
"We have many other areas with tornadoes and other damage as well to review so the entire storm survey process will take time," the weather service said in a social media post. "Please be patient! We will post updates as they become available."
Contributing: Phillip Sitter and Lee Rood, Des Moines Register; Reuters
