GREENFIELD, Iowa (FOX 9) - The Iowa State Patrol says multiple deaths have been reported after a tornado ripped through the small city of Greenfield.
Photos and videos posted online show widespread destruction. Iowa authorities say they don't have a definitive count of the fatalities at this point. Search efforts are continuing Tuesday evening, but officials believe everyone in the city of 2,000 people has been accounted for.
Officials also say at least a dozen people were injured in the severe weather.
Among the homes and businesses damaged was a retirement center, but officials aren't sure if there were any injuries at the center.
33 tornadoes reported through Midwest on Tuesday
Severe storms passed through southern Minnesota and Iowa into Wisconsin on Tuesday night, with a total of 33 reported tornadoes touching down.
Shelters have been set up for residents. A curfew has been implemented in the city overnight, starting at 10 p.m. Iowa State Patrol plans to release more details Wednesday morning on cleanup efforts.
FOX Weather Storm Tracker Brandon Copic reports that most of the town has been destroyed.
"Most of this town is gone, Steve. There's no other way to put it. Most of this town's gone."
People looking to help the community can drop off food and water at the Department of Transportation (DOT) Facility located east of Greenfield. The address is 2313 Highway 92, Greenfield, IA 50849.
Greenfield is about 50 miles southwest of Des Moines and 75 miles east of Omaha.
Tornado captured on video near Red Oak, Iowa [RAW]
A tornado was captured on video near Red Oak, Iowa, on Tuesday, May 21. These videos were taken by Ronald G. Bingham Jr.
Damage across the state
Multiple potential tornadoes have been reported in Iowa, as the state along with parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin were under a significant tornado watch on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday evening, 33 tornadoes had been reported across the Midwest, mostly in central and western Iowa.
The National Weather Service in Des Moines has received reports of tornadoes from the Greenfield area, Macksburg, Winterset, Norwalk, Alleman, Cambridge, Nevada, and Pleasant Hill over the course of the late afternoon. All of these locations are within 50 miles of Des Moines, mostly to the west of the city.
Along with those reports, FOX Weather captured video earlier in the afternoon of a tornado moving near Carbon, Iowa, about 60 miles east of Omaha. Another video also shows what appears to be a tornado in the Red Oak, Iowa area.
A professional weather chaser also shared a video of a tornado destroying a windmill near Williamson, about 40 miles from the Missouri border.
Tornado near Carbon, Iowa [RAW]
A tornado near Carbon, Iowa, around 3:04 p.m. on May 21, 2024. This video was taken by Alex Hall.
Comments
Post a Comment