Iowans were devastated after a swarm of tornadoes destroyed a small town and left several dead Tuesday.
Hours after a tornado touched down in Greenfield, about 55 miles from Des Moines, aerial images showed where tornadoes tore through the city as homes were leveled and trees torn to their stumps.
Wendi Rae, a reporter from Greenfield, posted an emotional video and horrifying photos of the fallout that gripped her hometown.
‘This is the damage along Highway 25 in Greenfield. “There are houses completely destroyed, so it’s really devastating,” Rae said.
“Everyone is out right now just checking on each other, this city is full of a lot of very good-hearted people, so please send us your prayers because there is a lot of devastation here right now.”
Aerial footage showed where tornadoes tore through the city as homes were flattened and trees torn to their stumps on Tuesday.
Wendi Rae, a reporter from Greenfield, posted an emotional video and horrifying photos of the fallout that gripped her hometown.
Five people died in the deadly storm front, including four in Greenfield and one in Corning.
A woman in Corning, about 90 miles southwest of Des Moines, died when she was ejected from a vehicle during the brutal storm.
The National Weather Service reported that 23 tornadoes occurred Tuesday, most of them touching down in Iowa, while one hit Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Rae’s video showed destruction in the 1.78-square-mile city with a population of just over 2,000 people.
He explained that his family’s home is “relatively okay,” but that others in the area were not so fortunate.
While walking along the road, residents were seen trying to start the mass cleanup process.
Piles of wood replaced houses, trees cut in half and furniture were seen scattered around the neighborhood.
Rae also posted photos of the disastrous aftermath, including one showing a red car, covered in dust and dirt, flipped on its hood, while a seat cushion dangled from a nearby tree.
Another image showed the interior of a house with ramshackle walls, disheveled furniture and wood and branches crashing through the window.
One image captured a tilted American flag, hanging from a wooden pole, as piles and piles of debris surrounded it.
‘Please pray for my hometown! The damage is absolutely devastating. “There are no words,” Rae captioned the post.
Rae posted a picture of a red car flipped on its hood while the seat cushions were hanging from a nearby tree.
Entire neighborhoods were leveled by several deadly tornadoes that swept through the region as Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds placed 15 counties under emergency disaster proclamations. She is expected to visit the city Wednesday morning.
“Just a few weeks ago, tornadoes hit other Iowa communities, and it’s hard to believe it happened again,” Reynolds said in a statement.
“Iowans are strong and resilient, and together we will get through this.”
Residents were seen beginning to clear debris. Meanwhile, it is unclear where those who lost their homes will be located.
The carnage is expected to continue in the Midwest as a storm system develops, with more than 25 million people currently under severe weather warnings, stretching from Missouri to Wisconsin.
In addition to the Hawkeye State, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Illinois were also affected by tornadoes, heavy rain and power outages. bbc reported.
Aerial images showed widespread damage hours after tornadoes tore through rural Iowa, including entire trees uprooted.
Greenfield, about 40 miles from the dead in Adams County, was one of the hardest hit, as a tornado that developed around 5 p.m. leveled hundreds of homes and left several people injured, the spokesman said. of the Iowa State Patrol, Sgt. Alex Dinkla said.
One image captured a tilted American flag, hanging from a wooden pole, as piles and piles of debris surrounded it.
Rae shared an image of the interior of a house with ramshackle walls, disheveled furniture and wood and branches crashing through the window.
At a news conference, Dinkla estimated that more than a dozen people were hospitalized, but could not offer an exact number. He added that all known residents had been accounted for, but searches of the rubble were still underway.
A local hospital was hit by the fierce tornadoes, forcing staff and patients to evacuate looted buildings and set up field hospitals at nearby high schools.
The gusts also destroyed huge wind turbines, and at least three turbines were destroyed in Adams County. MidAmerican Energy Company said it owned several more that were destroyed in Adair County.
While helping injured residents, Adair County Memorial Hospital also “suffered tornado damage,” officials said, forcing it to transfer patients to other nearby medical centers.
Greenfield instituted a mandatory 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew while the fallout is analyzed, however officials said the true extent of the devastation may not be clear until Wednesday morning.
Heavy cleanup crews have been seen across the state, with unaffected counties, including Guthrie and Madison, reportedly enlisted to help clean up damage in Greenfield.
Early reports said multiple tornadoes were also reported in Montgomery County, and forecasters warned that the storm system across the Midwest may spawn several more tornadoes of catastrophic strength.
In total, across the Midwest, more than 25 million people were under at least a Level 3 severe storm warning Tuesday night.
Damaged houses and cars are seen outside the Adair County Health System hospital in Greenfield
Remains of a wind turbine damaged by the tornado touch the ground in a field Tuesday near Prescott, Iowa
Midwesterners are now bracing for another storm that is expected to move through central Texas and into upstate New York this week.
The system is expected to bring hail, damaging winds and tornadoes, with a severe weather threat across parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Wind damage and hail, possibly the size of a golf ball or larger, are the main concerns, but forecasters warn that some tornadoes are also expected.
Northern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, northern and central Arkansas, southern Missouri, and western Tennessee are most likely to be affected by tornadoes.
Strong storms will occur today in the Midwest, western New York and Pennsylvania, but the threat of severe weather will continue into tomorrow.
Forecasters are primarily concerned about the regions of northern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, northwest Louisiana, southwest Missouri and southern Kansas.
June Handsaker comforts her brother Larry Handsaker after a tornado damaged their home in Nevada, Iowa
Car Damaged by Flying Debris During Greenfield Tornadoes
Strong storms will hit central Texas and upstate New York this week, forecasters warned. The threat of severe weather is greatest in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The risk of strong winds tomorrow is greatest from Wichita, Kansas to Oklahoma City, Dallas and Little Rock.
AccuWeather meteorologists have predicted winds could reach speeds of 60 to 70 mph.
A corridor from Arklatex to the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio river valleys will be affected by heavy rain today and tomorrow.
The area will receive between 2 and 4 inches of rain in a 48-hour period, putting residents at risk for flash flooding.
Parts of the Midwest, as well as southern and eastern regions, could also see scattered severe thunderstorms starting Friday and continuing into Memorial Day weekend.