By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
The southwest Iowa community of Greenfield has been partially leveled by the tornado that tore through the town Tuesday afternoon.
“Sadly we can confirm there have been fatalities with this tornado, Also injuries have been sustained by residents here in the Greenfield area,” Iowa State Patrol Communications Officer Alex Dinkla said in remarks in Greenfield that were posted on KCCI.com.
A tornado near Corning toppled wind turbines and damaged several farms. Adams County authorities have confirmed one person died in a weather-related incident.
Dinkla said officials believe everyone who was in Greenfield when that tornado struck is accounted for and they will confirmed the number of injuries and deaths later today.
“Obviously, this tornado has devastated a good portion of this town and community and with that much damage we want to make sure that we’re doing our due diligence and making sure we cover that area extensively,” Dinkla said.
A 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew is in effect in Greenfield. Dinkla said details about clean up and volunteer opportunities in Greenfield will be shared later today.
“The Greenfield community has a long road ahead of them,” Dinkla said, “but if their actions today are any indicator of what lies ahead, they will emerge stronger and more united than ever.”
Greenfield’s hospital was hit and patients were transferred to other hospitals. The Nodaway High School in Greenfield is serving as a shelter for residents.
Classes are cancelled today at Johnston High School due to extensive storm damage at the school. Governor Reynolds has issued a disaster declaration for 15 counties that were hit by yesterday’s storms. In a written statement, Reynolds said she’s committed to providing the full resources of the state to support response and recovery efforts. She plans to visit Greenfield today (Wednesday) to assess the damage in person.
The 15 counties included in the governor’s disaster proclamation are Adair, Adams, Cass, Clay, Hardin, Harrison, Jasper, Kossuth, Marshall, Montgomery, Page, Palo Alto, Pottawattamie, Tama, and Warren.
