Incredible drone footage has captured the immense trail of destruction left across a small Iowa town after a tornado ripped through the state – killing multiple people and injuring dozens more.
Entire neighborhoods were flattened by several deadly twisters that gripped the region on Tuesday evening, with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds placing 15 counties under disaster emergency proclamations.
Hours after a tornado touched down in Greenfield, aerial footage showed where a tornado tore through the town as homes were leveled and trees were shredded down to their stumps.
Carnage is expected to continue through the Midwest as a storm system develops – with over 25 million people currently under severe weather warnings, stretching from Missouri to Wisconsin.
Iowa Police confirmed there have been multiple fatalities in the deadly weather front. One death occurred in Adams County, Iowa, around 90 miles southwest of Des Moines, when a woman was ejected from a vehicle during the brutal storm.
Shocking drone footage showed the trial of destruction left through Greenfield, Iowa on Tuesday as a powerful tornado ripped apart the small town of 2,000 people
Shocking images from Greenfield showed widespread damage, with reports indicating that the town has also reported several injuries
Footage showed widespread damage hours after the tornadoes tore through rural Iowa, including entire trees being shredded from their roots.
The small town of Greenfield, around 40 miles from the death in Adams County, was among the hardest hit, and a tornado that developed around 5pm leveled hundreds of homes and left several people injured, Iowa State Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Alex Dinkla said.
At a press conference, Dinkla estimated that over a dozen people were hospitalized, but could not offer an exact number. He added that all known residents were accounted for, but searches were still ongoing through the wreckage.
Images shared to Facebook by a Greenfield resident saw entire homes reduced to rubble and turned into scattered debris, while brick walls were flattened by the force of the twister.
A local hospital was hit by the fierce tornadoes, forcing staff and patients to evacuate the ransacked buildings and set up field hospitals at nearby high schools.
Massive wind turbines were also destroyed by the gusts, with at least three turbines destroyed in Adams County, and MidAmerican Energy Company said it owned several more that were destroyed in Adair County.
While aiding injured residents, the Adair County Memorial Hospital also ‘sustained tornado damage’, officials said, that forced it to transfer patients to other nearby medical centers.
Entire homes were flattered when the fatal tornados hit on Tuesday
A car is damaged by flying debris during the tornados
In total across the Midwest, over 25 million people were under at least a Level 3 severe thunderstorm warnings on Tuesday evening
Over 25 million people are under severe weather warnings across the Midwest
Trees were shredded to their roots by the force of the twisters, with meteorologists predicting more tornadoes may be generated that could exceed speeds of 111mph
Numerous wind turbines were ripped apart by the tornadoes, including at least three in Adams County
Heavy cleanup crews have been spotted across the state, with unaffected counties including Guthrie and Madison reportedly enlisted to help clear damage in Greenfield (pictured)
Greenfield instated a mandatory curfew from 10pm to 7am as the aftermath is surveyed, however officials said the true extent of the devastation may not be clear until daybreak.
Heavy cleanup crews have been spotted across the state, with unaffected counties including Guthrie and Madison reportedly enlisted to help clear damage in Greenfield.
Early reports said multiple tornadoes were also reported in Montgomery County, and Meteorologists warned that the storm system across the Midwest may generate several more catastrophic-strength tornadoes.
In total across the Midwest, over 25 million people were under at least a Level 3 severe thunderstorm warnings on Tuesday evening.
It comes after a period of intense storms through the nation’s heartland in recent days, including three minor tornadoes registered Monday in Minnesota, Nebraska and Colorado.
June Handsaker consoles his brother Larry Handsaker after a tornado damaged his house in Nevada, Iowa
A man sorts through the remains of a home damaged by a tornado
A woman and a child walk past damage after a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Although much of the early damage was contained to rural Iowa, officials warned that several large cities and population centers could find themselves in the storm’s path.
Chicago and Milwaukee are both at risk of being hit by destructive storms, and Des Moines International Airport closed its runways in anticipation of tornadoes potentially landing late Tuesday.
Multiple regions have also seen flash flooding due to the storms, with heavy rainfall warnings instated across the Midwest.
Through Tuesday night, the Storm Prediction Center launched a rare ‘potentially dangerous situation’ tornado watch spanning Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
The tornado watch is only used when experts believe there is a high chance for multiple, long-lasting tornadoes registering at EF2 or stronger, meaning speeds of at least 111mph.
Power lines were downed across the state (pictured in Nevada, Iowa) that left tens of thousands without power
Residents reported widespread damage to homes and businesses, although much of the early destruction struck rural areas of Iowa
Residents in Greenfield described witnessing the devastation across their town, with Valerie Warrior telling KCCI she was our riding her bike when the storm descended.
‘There’s houses down all over the place,’ Warrior said, noting that she raced to her basement to wait out the tornado before emerging to find the town covered in debris.
‘Devastating,’ she added.
Stunning images from storm chaser Nahel Belgherze focused on the damage seen in one Greenfield street, as a sleepy suburb was turned into rubble within hours.
Resident Donnell Griffith said despite the carnage, the small town of roughly 2,000 people will recover from the storms.
‘We’re a small community, we’re a tough community… we will rebuild this community together,’ she said.
‘We’re small but we’re mighty.’