GREENFIELD, Iowa — Four people were killed and at least 35 others were injured after a tornado ripped through an Iowa town on Tuesday, authorities said.
Officials confirmed the casualties to KETV on Wednesday.
The twister destroyed homes, splintered trees and crushed cars in the small town of Greenfield, located nearly 59 miles southwest of Des Moines.
JUST IN: State confirms 4 killed in Greenfield tornado, 35 injured https://t.co/PQNj4leLAD pic.twitter.com/pQrFJzG96n
— Local 5 News (@weareiowa5news) May 23, 2024
The multi-vortex tornado, classified as “at least” an EF3 storm, struck the town at about 3:39 p.m. CDT, the Des Moines Register reported.
Greenfield resident Jane Woodside was cooking dinner and said she took cover, according to WOI-TV.
“I had been chopping vegetables. I made a cup of tea,” Woodside told the television station. “I took my laptop and phone downstairs.”
Woodside said she stayed in the basement and heard the roar of the tornado.
“Truly that freight train sound,” she told WOI. “And I would say (it lasted) 10 to 15 seconds. It was really scary, and I just stayed up against the wall.”
During a news conference on Wednesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the storm was “just horrific,” KCCI-TV reported. Weather officials said that winds of approximately 136 mph pounded the area, according to WOI.
Crews were searching through mounds of debris Wednesday, searching for victims, according to The Associated Press.
“It’s still a search mission as far as we’re looking to be sure all residents are accounted for,” Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla said during the news conference.
Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 17 Iowa counties, according to KETV.
Greenfield resident Luke Daughenbaugh said he was trapped under piles of debris when his mother’s garage collapsed on him, the Register reported. He said that neighbors helped create a hole to escape the debris.
“I was crushed pretty good,” Daughenbaugh told the newspaper on Wednesday. “I’m lucky to be here.”
Woodside told WOI that she now has survived two tornadoes.
“When I was probably 15, the day before Easter, my house was destroyed by a tornado in eastern Iowa,” he told the television station. “I said to my children you may not want me to live with you, I might be a tornado magnet.”
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