Watch: Monster Tornado Tears Through Iowa as Violent Weather Causes Mass Destruction
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
An onslaught of tornadoes left devastation in their wake as storms slammed Nebraska and Iowa on April 26.
The Pottawattamie County town of Minden, Iowa, suffered extensive damage, with about half the town — between 40 and 50 homes — destroyed, the Sheriff’s Office said, according to KETV-TV.
Four people in the town were injured. No deaths were reported.
Another iPhone video from just southwest of Harlan, IA at 6PM this evening. Unbelievable motion on this #tornado #iawx pic.twitter.com/8utuJQ7p7I
— Brennan Myers (@MyersMadnesss) April 27, 2024
The tornado hit the town at about 6 p.m. on April 26, downing trees and power lines. Gas lines were also ruptured in the town, which had no power the following morning. The town was blocked off to anyone except residents and emergency crews.
The storm damaged about 120 Pottawattamie County buildings.
“Unfortunately, it was on the ground for a long time and hit several small towns on its path,” storm chaser Brett Adair said, according to Fox Weather.
Drone video of the Minden, Iowa #tornado as it crossed I-80 and morphed into a bright white stovepipe. @SevereStudios @MyRadarWX @Sierra_Lindsey3 #iawx #wxtwitter pic.twitter.com/KRt65LUEh4
— Jordan Hall (@JordanHallWX) April 27, 2024
“So, once we get into some of these more open areas where you’ve got more of the farms and the fields, in many cases, we can get lucky and not deal with so much damage. But unfortunately, this thing tracked for such a long way, we’ve seen quite a bit of damage today,” he said.
The National Weather Service said at least 10 tornadoes hit central Iowa on April 26, according to the Des Moines Register.
🌪️ AFTERMATH: A devastating, large tornado ripped through Minden, Iowa, Friday, causing extensive damage.
🎥: @AaronRigsbyOSC pic.twitter.com/djmVF93zPl
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) April 27, 2024
Parts of Nebraska and western Iowa were also hit by tornadoes.
“We’re thankful to be alive. We’re very thankful,” Jason Sunday of Elkhorn, Nebraska, said, according to KETV-TV.
“We saw it coming from the southwest, and when it got too close for comfort, we headed downstairs quickly. We were in the downstairs bathtub, and it was just like the movie said, it was like a freight train,” he said.
DRONE VIDEO — Miles Springer sent us drone video of the tornado damage Friday in Elkhorn. pic.twitter.com/rP60wdM27y
— 6 News WOWT (@WOWT6News) April 27, 2024
“And you knew the roof was coming off because that was a loud pop and sucking motion. It was pretty scary.”
The family had just moved into their home about 30 days before the storm hit.
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