A deadly tornado flattened the small town of Greenfield, Iowa, as tornados in the area left around five people dead and nearly 40 people injured as homes were obliterated and thousands are left without electricity.
The twister that tore through the city on Tuesday was rated at least an EF-3 by the National Weather Service and was so destructive that it took authorities more than a day to account for the area’s residents.
It´s believed that the number of people injured is likely higher, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said.
The fifth person was killed about 25 miles from Greenfield when her car was blown off the road in a tornado, according to the Adams County Sheriff´s Office.
Monica Zamarron, 46, died in that crash Tuesday afternoon as her car was blown from the road, officials said. A GoFundMe page has been set up for Zamarron’s family.
Officials haven’t yet released the names of the other victims.
People embrace in front of their home which was destroyed by a tornado that obliterated homes in Greenfield, Iowa
Monica Zamarron, 46, died in that crash Tuesday afternoon as her car was blown from the road, officials said
The severe weather turned south Wednesday. In Texas, officials issued an emergency declaration in Temple, a city of more than 90,000 people north of Austin, after powerful storms ripped through the area.
Thousands of residents lost power, schools canceled classes for Thursday and nearby Fort Cavazos reported significant debris blocking traffic at the Army installation.
In Iowa, the Greenfield tornado obliterated homes, splintered trees and crumpled cars in the town of 2,000 about 55 miles southwest of Des Moines. The twister also crumpled massive power-producing wind turbines several miles outside the city.
Greenfield resident Kimberly Ergish and her husband dug through the debris field Wednesday that used to be their home, looking for family photos and other salvageable items.
There wasn´t much left, she acknowledged. The reality of having her house destroyed in seconds hasn´t really set in, she said.
‘If it weren´t for all the bumps and bruises and the achy bones, I would think that it didn´t happen,’ Ergish said.
The deadly twister was spawned during a historic tornado season in the U.S., at a time when climate change is heightening the severity of storms around the world. April had the second-highest number of tornadoes on record in the country.
Through Tuesday, 859 tornadoes had been confirmed this year, 27% more than the U.S. sees on average, according to NOAA´s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Iowa has so far recorded the most, with 81 confirmed twisters.
Officials were still assessing the full extent of property damage in Greenfield, a community of 2,000 about 60 miles southwest of Des Moines, the state capital
The tally of casualties was announced by the Iowa Department of Public Safety at the end of a day in which rescue teams picked through fields of debris left by the deadly twister in search of people who might be trapped in the wreckage
An aerial view shows the devastation left behind in Greenfield
This satellite photo taken by a BlackSky Technology satellite shows the trail of destruction left by the twister
On Tuesday alone, the National Weather Service said it received 23 tornado reports, with 21 in Iowa.
Tuesday’s storms also pummeled parts of Illinois and Wisconsin, knocking out power to tens of thousands of customers in the two states.
The National Weather Service said initial surveys indicated at least an EF-3 tornado in Greenfield, but additional damage assessment could lead to a more powerful ranking.
The tornado appeared to have been on the ground for more than 40 miles (64 kilometers), AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said.
A satellite photo taken by a BlackSky Technology shows where the twister gouged a nearly straight path of destruction through the town, just south of Greenfield´s center square.
‘Debris was lifted thousands of feet in the air and ended up falling to the ground several counties away from Greenfield. That´s evidence of just how intense and deadly this tornado was,’ Porter said.
People as far as 100 miles away from Greenfield posted photos on Facebook of ripped family photos, yearbook pages and other items that were lifted into the sky by the tornado.
About 90 miles away, in Ames, Iowa, Nicole Banner found a yellowed page declaring ‘This Book is the Property of the Greenfield Community School District’ stuck to her garage door like a Post-It note after the storm passed.
‘We just couldn´t believe it had traveled that far,’ she said.
Of the 35 people reported injured by the tornado, at least 14 were taken to out-of-county hospitals for medical treatment, officials said, adding that the actual number of people hurt was most likely higher
Images from Greenfield showed a wide swath of utter destruction, with homes reduced to splinters, trees uprooted, vehicles crushed and debris strewn everywhere
The twister that touched down in Greenfield was among a swarm of tornadoes reported in southwestern Iowa on Tuesday afternoon and evening
Landyn Ergish, 12, of Greenfield, Iowa looks at the basement bathroom where he hid with his three siblings and mother as a tornado destroyed their home
Phillip Ergish of Greenfield, Iowa holds his dog Kobe while looking at the remnants of his home
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks with a worker at a command station after touring tornado damage
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said FEMA´s administrator would be in Iowa Thursday and that the White House was in touch with state and local officials.
She said they were ‘praying for those who tragically lost their lives’ and wished those injured a ‘speedy recovery.’
Greenfield’s 25-bed hospital was among the buildings damaged, and at least a dozen people who were hurt had to be taken to facilities elsewhere.
Hospital officials said in a Facebook post Wednesday that the hospital will remain closed and that full repairs could take weeks or months.
An urgent care clinic was set up at an elementary school with primary care services to start there Thursday, the post said.
Residential streets that on Monday were lined with old-growth trees and neatly-appointed ranch-style homes were a chaotic jumble of splintered and smashed remnants by Wednesday.
Many of the homes’ basements where residents sheltered lay exposed and front yards were littered with belongings from furniture to children’s toys and Christmas decorations.
Roseann Freeland waited until the last minute to rush with her husband to a concrete room in her basement. Seconds later, her husband opened the door ‘and you could just see daylight,’ Freeland said. ‘I just lost it. I just totally lost it.’