The passage of several tornadoes this last week left at least 5 dead and 35 injured in Iowa. According to the National Weather Service, of the 26 tornadoes they recorded in the last few hours, at least 21 passed through Iowa last Tuesday between 5:44 pm and 11 pm CT.
These phenomena caused the death of 4 people in the city of Greenfield, one of the areas most affected by the storm, as reported by the Iowa State Patrol in a press release. The authorities assured that they had not yet revealed the identities of the victims since they were still notifying their families of their deaths:
Joint Unified Command is saddened to announce that four fatalities and at least 35 injuries were the result of the tornado that impacted the Greenfield, Adair County, Iowa area during the afternoon hours of Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The names and ages of those killed in the severe weather event are not being released at this time pending notification of next of kin.
As CNN learned, the four victims announced in Greenfield were not the only ones, since authorities announced that one more death had been recorded. In this case, in Adams County, also in Iowa. In this case, it was the Sheriff's Department's office that announced that a 46-year-old woman, later identified as Monica Zamarron, had died when her car was blown off the road as a result of another tornado about 25 miles away.
Tornadoes force evacuation of Adar County Memorial Hospital
These incidents were not the only havoc caused by the various tornadoes. Adar County Memorial Hospital announced that, due to the damage caused by the storm, it was forced to evacuate both its staff and patients.
Hours later, in a statement, the medical center assured that it had to close its facilities for weeks in order to repair the structural damage left by the climate phenomenon:
Kim Reynolds says the ravages of the storm are "heartbreaking"
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds called the situation "horrible." According to her during a press conference she gave in Greenfield on Wednesday morning, the vast majority of the city had been affected by the storm: "It's just gut-wrenching. It's horrific. It's hard to describe until you can actually see it, the devastation," Reynolds said in statements reported by ABC News.
The worst in Iowa is over. However, tornadoes will continue to affect other states in the coming hours. According to the National Weather Service, severe storms could occur this weekend in various states:
05/22/2024 2:27 PM CDT: Severe storms are expected over the weekend, from the southern Plains to parts of the MS Valley. Severe wind/hail and tornadoes are likely, and significant severe weather is possible. Check for forecast updates at https://t.co/cM2G0CEJa7 pic.twitter.com/ZWHpMqSvUV
— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) May 22, 2024
