Iowa, May 22:
As severe storms persisted in hammering the Midwest, a string of tornadoes devastated western Iowa on Tuesday, killing dozens and destroying countless homes and businesses, according to CNN.
According to Sgt. Alex Dinkla, a spokesperson for the Iowa State Patrol, a tornado was unleashed just before 5 o'clock in the afternoon in the small town of Greenfield, Iowa, which is about 50 miles southwest of Des Moines. The tornado caused substantial damage to many homes and other structures. While Dinkla would not go into any information about the victims, he did say, "Sadly, we can confirm that there have been fatalities with this tornado," during a later news conference. Sgt. Dinkla verified that residents of Greenfield were also hurt, and that a local hospital was damaged by the storm, forcing patients to be transferred to adjacent medical institutions.
Video shot by KCCI, a CNN affiliate, showed the path of devastation that the tornado had left in Greenfield, including completely destroyed houses, collapsed buildings, piles of rubble, wrecked cars, and lots of trees that had been uprooted. To emphasise the horrific impact of the storm, "There is basically nothing left," said Clel Baudler, a former Iowa state lawmaker who lived half a mile from Greenfield.
Adams County, Iowa, some 90 miles southwest of Des Moines, was the site of another storm-related death, according to Lisa Brown, the county medical examiner. Brown blamed a tornado for the deaths, but she couldn't provide any further details about what happened. The Storm Prediction Centre issued an unusual "potentially dangerous situation" tornado watch for portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois on Tuesday because to the powerful line of thunderstorms that moved through the area. A high probability of numerous long-lived tornadoes of EF2 or stronger intensity is required to issue this special tornado watch.
Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa declared a state of disaster emergency for fifteen counties in the wake of the storm's arrival, allowing state resources to be deployed to assist with response and recovery operations. On Wednesday morning, Governor Reynolds will personally visit Greenfield to examine the damage. She has promised to provide the entire support of the state during her visit.
More than 30,000 Iowans were without electricity as of late Tuesday night, according to Poweroutage.us. On Tuesday, dangerous thunderstorms broke out, bringing with them hurricane-force winds of up to 90 mph and hail as large as a softball. Based on the SPC's assessment, about 25 million individuals in the area were placed under a Level 3 or Level 4 danger of severe thunderstorms.
Much of Iowa, northwest Illinois, southwest Wisconsin, and northern Missouri were the main areas of worry for widespread, dangerous impacts. Devastating storms could potentially impact major population centres like Milwaukee and Chicago as well. Late Tuesday afternoon, tornado warnings were issued as hazardous storms neared the area, momentarily closing Des Moines International Airport. Montgomery County, Iowa, acknowledged the presence of "multiple tornadoes" according to emergency management personnel; however, no injuries were reported at that time. As officials cleared roads to allow access to impacted properties, damage assessments got begun.
Watches for both tornadoes and flash floods caused by heavy rains were in force for portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Possible rainfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches, with some regions anticipating as much as 5 inches.
More severe thunderstorms are anticipated to form on Wednesday throughout a 1,500-mile arc from western New York to Texas, with the heaviest storms hitting the Midwest through Tuesday night. The region was prepared for more impact as the threat of destructive winds, hail, and a few tornadoes remained.
The recent surge of extreme weather events in the US, culminating in last Thursday's catastrophic storm in Houston, has highlighted the critical importance of being ready and resilient to unforeseen natural catastrophes.
