Astonishing drone footage has revealed the devastating aftermath of a tornado that ravaged a small Iowa town, leaving a trail of destruction, multiple deaths, and numerous injuries. The catastrophe unfolded Tuesday evening, prompting Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to declare disaster emergencies in 15 counties.
Homes turned to rubble after devastating tornado.
In Greenfield, aerial footage showed homes reduced to rubble and trees torn to their stumps. Entire neighborhoods were flattened as several deadly twisters tore through the region.
The tornadoes claimed several lives, including a woman in Adams County who was ejected from her vehicle. Iowa Police confirmed multiple fatalities from the severe weather.
Greenfield suffers major loses.
Greenfield, about an hour southwest of Des Moines, was among the hardest hit. Officials say a tornado developed around 5 pm, leveling hundreds of homes and injuring several residents.
Iowa State Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Alex Dinkla reported over a dozen hospitalizations and ongoing searches through the wreckage. Photos shared on social media show homes turned to debris and brick walls demolished by the tornado’s force.
Hospital hit, patients and staff evacuated to high schools.
The local hospital in Greenfield was also struck, necessitating the evacuation of staff and patients to nearby high schools where field hospitals were established. Wind turbines also suffered severe damage, with at least three destroyed in Adams County, and more in Adair County, according to MidAmerican Energy Company.
A mandatory curfew from 10 pm last night until 7 am this morning was imposed in Greenfield to facilitate recovery efforts. Heavy cleanup crews were deployed, with assistance from nearby counties like Guthrie and Madison. Multiple tornadoes were also reported in Montgomery County.
The storm system had put over 25 million people under severe thunderstorm warnings Tuesday evening. Recent days have seen intense storms across the heartland, including tornadoes in Nebraska, Colorado and Minnesota.
Greenfield residents talk about what happened.
Residents of Greenfield have shared harrowing accounts of the devastation. Valerie Warrior described the storm’s sudden descent as she was biking, forcing her to take cover in her basement. Emerging afterward, she found her town in ruins. She told KCCI, “There’s houses down all over the place…Devastating.”
Family reunited with dog after surviving tornado.
Amid the sad stories was also a happy one. ABC-7 Chicago video shows dog Luna rescued and reunited with her owner, Maggie Masker, in Greenfield after finding him still in his kennel after the tornado turned her home into rubble. Saying the kennel was “untouched” Maggie told KCCI that Luna was just “waiting for us to find her.”
Masker said, “I’m just thanking Jesus that we’re all here. And my, like, last thing was I knew my daughter was ok, she was at daycare, and all my family and friends who live right here were all ok. But the dog wasn’t here. But we found her. So I’m just so thankful to God that we’re all here.”
Stunning images from storm chaser Nahel Belgherze show a once-quiet Greenfield street now turned to rubble. Despite the destruction, resident Donnell Griffith expressed resilience, vowing that the small town of roughly 2,000 people would recover and rebuild. “We’re a small community, we’re a tough community… we will rebuild this community together,” she said. “We’re small but we’re mighty.”
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