One Dead In Iowa City Tornado
Daylight provided a clearer image Friday of the devastation caused by tornadoes and severe storms that ripped through the Midwestern college town of Iowa City.
"The strong winds literally ripped apart St. Patrick's Cathedral, as well as many businesses," reports
. "Windows were shattered, cars lifted up off the ground and flipped on their tops. Large trees were uprooted and came crashing down onto homes."One person was killed when the mobile home she was in was struck by a tornado near Nichols, southeast of Iowa City Thursday night, said officials with the Muscatine County sheriff's office.
"It blew it off the foundation and the trailer rolled and basically disintegrated," said Maj. Dave White of the Muscatine County sheriff's office.
University of Iowa student Andrew Loffswold, 19, took shelter with others in a basement.
"It was a lot of wind and there was a bunch of stuff blowing all over, and by the time I got inside, there was so much wind and sand and dirt flying around that I couldn't keep my eyes open and breathe that well," Loffswold told CBS Radio News.
Crews and National Guard troops worked overnight and into Friday morning to clean up the wreckage in Iowa City.
Utility crews were busy trying to restore power to customers.
Loffswold was cleaning up the mess.
"The roof to my apartment is gone, all my stuff was just all over the floor, there wasn't a door attached, it had ripped up some of my carpet, just pretty much all my stuff was covered in insulation or destroyed," he said.
MidAmerican Energy spokesman Allan Urlis said 1,300 Iowa City customers were without electricity Friday morning. Initially, as many as 6,500 customers were left without power.
Early estimates indicated as many as 60 utility poles were broken or needed replacing, he said.
Repairs were expected to be finished by midday Saturday, Urlis said.
The governor's office declared a state of emergency for Johnson and Muscatine counties. A state of emergency also was declared in Jones County, where several homes near Anamosa were damaged by the storm. Most of the damage was concentrated along U.S. Highway 151 south of Anamosa.
As many as three tornadoes that touched down in Iowa City Thursday night, ripping roofs off of apartment buildings, downtown businesses and car dealerships. Strong winds shattered windows, overturned cars and scattered debris across streets in the heart of the downtown and campus.
"We don't have any reports of serious injuries, which is short of miraculous considering what some of the damage appears to be," university spokesman Steve Parrot said Friday.
Parrot said there were reports that 21 people had been treated at area hospitals, but the injuries were not considered serious. Classes at the university were canceled Friday.
The Iowa National Guard deployed 25 soldiers early Friday morning to provide security, keep people away from danger spots and help assess damage, said spokesman Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood.
The city streets had no electricity and were bumper to bumper with traffic as police directed vehicles. The sidewalks were overflowing with people exploring the wreckage.
Firefighter Darrall Brick looked on with dismay as he watched some people walking around downed power lines.
"These students just don't realize how dangerous it is," he said, noting that crowds prevented emergency crews from reaching areas damaged by the storms.
Off campus, the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house was damaged. Most of the roof and a side of the building was destroyed. Almost 30 people were in the house when the sirens sounded, but the smell of gas prompted them to seek other shelter.
That may have saved their lives.
Vicki Krumm stood outside the home after the skies cleared, observing the destroyed roof and broken windows. Nearby, two cars were sitting in a debris-filled ravine.
"My reaction is shock," she said. "We have the most beautiful trees and now they're gone."
Parrot said the university opened the Iowa Memorial Union and brought in mattresses for students needing a place to stay. He did not know how many students spent the night at the union.
The university canceled classes for Friday while crews repair the campus and clear debris.
A Menard's home improvement store and a Wal-Mart on the city's southwest side also had serious roof damage.
A Dairy Queen was demolished. Across the street at a car dealership, cars were flipped by strong winds.
Some neighborhoods were in disarray as heavy winds and hail destroyed cars, crushed homes and cut off power to thousands of residents.