A powerful tornado tore through Greenfield, Iowa, on Tuesday, leaving multiple fatalities, at least a dozen injuries, and widespread destruction in its wake.
Key points:
- Tornado destroyed much of Greenfield, a town of about 2,000, located 55 miles southwest of Des Moines
- Confirmed fatalities, with authorities still determining the total number and thought to have accounted for all residents
- At least a dozen injuries, including at the community’s small hospital, with patients transferred to nearby facilities
- Triage center set up at Greenfield high school for medical attention
- Only residents allowed to enter Greenfield until Wednesday morning, media representatives ordered to leave
- Devastation included destroyed homes and businesses, shredded trees, smashed cars, and strewn debris
- Rogue Paxton sheltered in his basement, family survived, but his brother’s house was wiped out
- Multiple tornadoes reported throughout Iowa, including one that took down several 250-foot wind turbines in southwest Iowa
- Wind turbines caught fire and continued to smolder, designed to withstand powerful winds but affected by the storm
- Greenfield known for its community spirit, with businesses and neighbors helping each other in the aftermath
- Mary Long, owner of Long’s Market, heard the tornado’s roar but her business largely escaped damage
- Camille Blair of Greenfield Chamber of Commerce described widespread roof damage and debris
- Tornado warnings and severe weather extended to Wisconsin, Omaha, Nebraska, and Illinois
- Severe storms and extreme weather have ravaged much of the middle section of the country in recent days, with tornadoes, hail, and strong winds
- Upcoming severe weather expected to hit Minnesota, northern Missouri, and then move south to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and southern Missouri
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