Eastern Iowa Towns Clean Up From Twister
Pastor Dale Morgan
Eastern Iowa Towns Clean Up From Twister*
Saturday June 2, 2007 11:01 PM
By LUKE MEREDITH
Associated Press Writer
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Dozens of residents on Saturday picked through
the shredded remains of homes leveled by a tornado that twisted through
three eastern Iowa communities a night earlier.
Destruction was visible across Muscatine County and surrounding areas,
where the tornado, with winds between 136 to 140 mph, cut through
businesses and homes and knocked down trees and power lines.
It caused only minor injuries as it struck the town of Grandview, went
north through Fruitland and dissipated in the Muscatine area about 10
minutes later, authorities said.
The number of homes damaged by the storm could reach ``triple digits,''
Muscatine police Lt. Brett Talkington said.
He said cleanup efforts by city crews and local residents were hampered
by heavy traffic caused by ``sightseers.''
``Our biggest issue is people in the area who don't need to be there,''
Talkington said. ``We've been called by the city crews a couple times of
traffic being so bad with cars in the area that they can't do their job.''
Mark Husar said the car dealership he manages in Muscatine was cleaned
up in time to open Saturday and made several sales, even though most of
the 175 vehicles on the lot sustained some damage.
``People are still going about their lives,'' Husar said. ``People still
buy cars.''
In Grandview, a town of about 600, oak trees were shredded and debris
from flattened homes littered the streets. One brick house stood
roofless, while a few uprooted trees broke through a nearby garage.
In Fruitland, Kelly Goodwin sifted through the rubble of what used to be
her kitchen.
She had been spending a quiet afternoon in her home when she heard the
wind howl. She glanced out the window, saw a tree rip from the ground
and hurried to the basement.
``When I came back up I saw all this,'' Goodwin said, waving her arms at
the wreckage.
A couple blocks away, the post office didn't fair any better. Its four
walls were ripped away, leaving a clear view of post office boxes and
equipment inside amid piles of rubble and tree limbs.
Heavy rains across the region also caused flooding and several traffic
accidents, including one fatal wreck near Coralville.
Gov. Chet Culver declared a disaster emergency for Jackson, Louisa and
Muscatine counties, authorizing state and local authorities to assist in
the cleanup.