It’s been a tough few weeks in the Midwest of the U.S., and some might say a year if you consider the tornado that nearly wiped Greensburg, Kansas[wiki] off the face of the earth almost a year ago.
Over the past weekend, storms have been hitting close to home back in Iowa, and the reports keep painting the picture clearer as to what happened in the small town of Parkersburg, Iowa. Growing up, you know about these things and understand what they are capable of. This is a bit different.
Rescuers continued picking through the wreckage in search of possible victims, but officials said they were hopeful no one else would be found. In addition to those killed, about 70 people were injured, including two in critical condition.
The damage in this town of about 1,000 was staggering: 222 homes destroyed, 21 businesses destroyed and more than 400 homes damaged. Among the buildings destroyed were the city hall, the high school and the town’s sole grocery store and gas station.
“There’s so much hurt here, I don’t know where to start,” said U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who owns a farm near New Hartford. [myway]
What is even more astounding is that not only was the city hall destroyed, but so was all the data records.
All records stored at Parkersburg’s City Hall were lost in Sunday’s tornado, officials confirmed this morning.
Backup computer information might be available, they said, but the first order of business will be the massive cleanup effort that awaits.
At a community meeting this morning, officials announced that a system has been established to let property owners inform crews when they have finished trying to salvage belongings. Resident were instructed to register at the Veterans Building community center for special green and tan lawn stakes that signify when property is ready for demolition. [desmoinesregister]
I’ve been through my share of storms and seen the damage these things can do, but I cannot fathom what it would take to have damage on this wide of a scale. Houses and barns are what you expect, and it never feels typical when it happens. No matter how small the town is, it’s still a town, and it’s hardly a town now.
If you would like to help out with the cause, please consider pledging to the Red Cross who is helping out with the disaster recovery.
Dude…tornadoes have always given me the heebie-jeebies. I used to have nightmares about them…and I have never experienced them (I attribute the nightmares to The Wizard of Oz). Those guys on the Weather Channel that go chasing them down and all that?? Out of their f*ing minds!
When you look at that 360 picture in the DeMoines Register…yeesh. That used to be a quiet, lovely neighborhood…and a pile of firewood today.
Call it the power of God, the power of nature…whatever…there are SO many forces out there that make us all seem so insignificant. Cyclones in Burma, earthquakes in China…and the daily storm fronts that run through the midwest…incredible.