5 dead and nearly 3 dozen injured in tornadoes in Iowa, officials say

GREENFIELD, Iowa (AP) — A deadly tornado that wreaked havoc in the small town of Greenfield, Iowa, left four people dead and nearly three dozen injured, while a fifth person died elsewhere, officials said.

The tornado that swept through the city on Tuesday was rated at least EF-3 by the National Weather Service and was so destructive that it took authorities more than a day to identify residents in the area.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said it is believed the number of injuries is likely higher.

According to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the fifth person died about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Greenfield when their car was thrown off the road in a tornado. Monica Zamarron, 46, died in the accident Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

The names of the other victims have not yet been released by authorities.

The storm turned south on Wednesday. In Texas, officials in Temple, a city of more than 90,000 people north of Austin, issued an emergency declaration after severe storms hit the area. Thousands of residents lost power, schools canceled classes for Thursday and near Fort Cavazos there were reports of significant debris blocking traffic at the Army installation.

In Iowa, the greenfield tornado destroyed homes, splintered trees and smashed cars in the city of 2,000 people about 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Des Moines. The hurricane also destroyed huge electricity-generating wind turbines several miles outside the city.

Greenfield resident Kimberly Ergish and her husband were sifting through the rubble where their home used to be on Wednesday, looking for family photos and other salvageable items. There wasn’t much left, she admitted. The reality that her home was destroyed in seconds hasn’t really sunk in yet, she said.

“If it weren’t for all the bumps and bruises and aching bones, I would think it didn’t happen,” Ergish said.

The deadly storm came during a historic tornado season in the United States, at a time when climate change is increasing the severity of storms around the world. April saw the second-highest number of tornadoes on record nationwide.

According to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, 859 tornadoes have been confirmed this year through Tuesday, 27% more than the U.S. average. Iowa has recorded the most so far, with 81 confirmed twisters.

On Tuesday alone, the National Weather Service said it received 23 tornado reports, including 21 in Iowa.

Tuesday’s storms also devastated parts of Illinois and Wisconsin, causing power outages for tens of thousands of customers in the two states.

The National Weather Service said initial investigations indicate at least one EF-3 tornado in Greenfield, but additional damage assessment could produce a more meaningful ranking.

The tornado appeared to be more than 40 miles (64 kilometers) above the ground, said Jon Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather. A satellite photo from BlackSky Technology shows where the twister cut a nearly straight path of destruction through the city south of Greenfield’s central square.

“Debris was thrown thousands of feet into the air and eventually fell to the ground several counties away from Greenfield. This is a testament to how intense and deadly this tornado was,” Porter said.

People living as far away as 100 miles from Greenfield posted photos on Facebook of torn family photos, yearbook pages and other items that the tornado had thrown into the sky.

About 90 miles (145 kilometers) away, in Ames, Iowa, Nicole Banner found a yellowed page labeled “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 was.

“We just couldn’t believe it had traveled that far,” she said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the head of FEMA would be in Iowa on Thursday and the White House was in contact with state and local authorities. She said they were “praying for those who tragically lost their lives” and wished the injured a “speedy recovery.”

Greenfield’s 25-bed hospital was among the damaged buildings, and at least a dozen injured people had to be transferred to other facilities. Hospital officials said in a Facebook post Wednesday that the hospital would remain closed and that full repairs could take weeks or months. An emergency clinic has been set up at an elementary school, where basic medical care is expected to begin on Thursday, the post said.

Residential streets that were lined with mature trees and neatly appointed ranch-style homes on Monday were a chaotic jumble of splintered and shattered remains on Wednesday. Many of the basements of the homes where residents were sheltering were exposed and front yards were littered with belongings, from furniture to children’s toys to Christmas decorations.

Roseann Freeland waited until the last minute to rush into a concrete room in their basement with her husband. Seconds later, her husband opened the door, “and you could just see daylight,” Freeland said. “I just lost control. I just completely lost control.”

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Beck reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski and Trisha Ahmed in Minneapolis; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; and Jim Salter in O’Fallon, Missouri, contributed.