At least four dead, dozens injured as devastating tornado hits Iowa City

At least four people were killed and 35 others were injured when a tornado struck a small town in Iowa on Tuesday, causing extensive damage, government officials said Wednesday.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said they were still gathering information from around the devastated city as more people may be injured.

A tornado struck the state of Iowa on Tuesday afternoon. It destroyed many homes, trees and cars in Greenfield, a town of 2,000 people. The tornado also destroyed large wind turbines near the city. Now, rescue teams are searching for people under the heavy debris to ensure that no one else is trapped.

“As much as we want to make sure all residents are located, it’s still a search mission,” said Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla.

People searched for their valuables in the debris of their homes. Greenfield resident Kimberly Ergish and her husband looked distraught as they stood in the debris field that used to be their home. They looked for family photos and other salvageable items, however, there was not much left.

“Most of it we can’t save,” he said. “But we’re going to get what we can.”

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

A woman died in a car crash near Corning, Iowa. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said his vehicle ran off the road. Her name and age have not been shared yet. The National Weather Service received reports of 23 tornadoes Tuesday. Most of them were in Iowa, and one each in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

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