A Sad Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday night saw a line of storms cross NE Iowa on a path roughly parallel to US Highway 20. The system produced tornadoes hitting an area that was near my hometown of Oelwein. The worst damage was done in an area from Applington/Parkersburg heading East past New Hartford & Cedar Falls to Dunkerton, Fairbank, Hazleton & Lamont. Some debris from the storm has been found in Wadena.

At least 7 people were killed by the tornadoes. Many others were injured. The damage was extensive, not only from the winds but also from the flash floods in some areas. Parkersburg is virtually uninhabited as a result of the damage from the EF-3 tornado. 222 homes were destroyed, 21 businesses were destroyed & over 400 homes damaged. Among the buildings completely destroyed were the city hall, high school and the city's sole grocery store and gas station.

I saw a comment on 1 of the news websites how differently a person reacts to seeing damage when you are familiar with an area. It is true. Watching video of the damage arround Hazleton was esp unsettling for me as I couldn't help thinking about the number of times I had traveled the area of Highway 150 shown.

Governor Culver has issued a disaster proclamation for Black Hawk, Bremer & Buchanan Counties & has contacted Predient Bush asking for Presidential Declaration for Butler County.

Please keep the residents of the area in your prayers as they begin the clean-up & recovery. I know how hard it is to deal with a disaster such as this. They need to know that God is with them to help them esp with the emotional healing they need. They also need God's strength to deal with all the various things they will have to do. & esp pray for the safety of those doing the clean-up as there are many potential dangers.

The Red Cross has set up shop to help with the recovery. The Hawkeye Chapter is responsible for the Bremer, Black Hawk, Fayette Counties area & The Grant Wood Area Chapter has Buchanan County. You can make online cash donations. Contact St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, or Goodwill to see about donating clothing & other goods.

Tornado Recovery Information for staying safe during the recovery/rebuilding period after the tornado.

Iowa DOT Map