Tornado, flood of ‘08
By STEPHANI FINLEY, JASMYNNE SLOAN, ANDY GOODELL, VALARIE ALLEN
|
| |
CNA editorial staff
A tornado-producing thunderstorm reached Union County at about 9:20 p.m., Wednesday after one twister touched down southeast of Prescott near Highway 34. That tornado was part of a storm cell called a cyclic super cell, which develops a series of tornados.
Tornado damage was reported throughout Adams and Union Counties, but flooding remained the main problem today.
By 10:30 p.m., Wednesday the storm had moved out of Union County but was still going strong as it moved east.
Creston Firefighter James Viers said he had watched the radar most of the day Wednesday and arrived at the Creston Fire Station early in the evening, just before the storm activity began.
“I was pretty much here relaying radar information and on the phone,” Viers said in a Creston News Advertiser interview this morning. “We got in a bad spot last night. The storm looked like it was going to head northeast. It hit a front and headed straight east. It was building in Omaha, in Nebraska, and kept coming one right after another.”
Viers said he witnessed larger than golf ball-size hail at the fire station.
East Union
At 1920 Jaguar Ave., Treana and Chad Briley, along with their four children, felt the brunt of tornadic activity last night. The Briley’s home lost part of it’s roofing during the onslaught of aggressive weather. This morning the south side of their home was covered with a tarp.
“We couldn’t hear it until it hit,” explained Treana as she surveyed the damage to her property. “We were in the basement and heard a big pop and took cover. We just thought it was a window breaking or something.”
Treana said she is still reeling from last night’s devastation to her property.
“I don’t know how to feel,” she said quietly. “It’s kind of overwhelming right now. We didn’t think it would come at us, but who does?”
Coworkers, friends and neighbors pitched in this morning to help the Briley’s put the pieces of their property back together. John Bragshaw of Macena and Lyle Ruhl of Anita were at the Briley farm this morning helping to dismantle many of the downed trees on the couple’s property.
“In ‘99, the same thing happened to me, so I know how they feel,” said Bragshaw while he and Ruhl took a quick break from their chain saws.
Afton Fire Chief Jim Krantz said one of Wednesday’s tornadoes touched down just north of Highway 34 on Creamery Road.
“We had them on both sides of us there for a while,” he said. “A lot of trees were blown down and several families had damage in that area. Lynn Kruse took the brunt of it. It hit down, and just like that it was gone.”
Krantz said in the city of Afton, a tree took out a main power line leaving half of the community without power this morning.
“East is on. The west part is out. It’s close to half the town,” said Krantz. “Keith Brown (electrician) is working on it. He was hoping this afternoon to have most of it back on. The rest later afternoon.”
Krantz said there is quite a lot of flooding in the rural area, but not much in town.
“Really we were pretty lucky,” he said. “No one was injured that I’m aware of.”
Highway 34 west closed
Anyone traveling on Highway 34 between Corning and Creston this morning had to detour south to Lenox to get through.
Jim Oshel, Iowa Department of Transportation highway maintenance supervisor for Creston, Corning and Mount Ayr said he received a call at about 4 a.m. that Highway 34 was covered with water at the Platte River, about a mile west of Highway 25.
“I rushed right out here and got a flag man on the other side to stop traffic,” Oshel said in a Creston News Advertiser interview. “Then when more people arrived, we put up the barricades.”
Oshel said his crews will be “keeping an eye on it” until the water recedes, but he said, gesturing at the rushing water, it may need attention even after the flood clears.
“It could be late this afternoon or even tomorrow before it’s opened up again, and that’s if we haven’t had too much washed out on the highway or under the bridge,” Oshel said. “If it’s washed out, we could really have a big problem.”
At 8 a.m., Oshel said the water had receded “just a hair” since its peak flooding at about 6 a.m.
Kent
The storm moved directly over Kent Wednesday night, too.
Local residents awoke early this morning to check out damage from last night’s storms, and to check on their neighbors.
At 7:30 a.m., Dean and Betty Schaffer of Kent were just beginning their rounds.
“We’re out talking to people and assessing the damage,” Dean said. “Just look at all the water.”
A stream on the west side of Kent flooded overnight, blocking in a few residents, but Dean said the bridge was passable again this morning.
He added, though, “It might not last long.”
In the ten minutes the Schaffers spent talking with a neighbor near the stream, Dean said the rushing water had risen noticeably.
Corning
As a tornado ripped its way across Adams County, destruction left in its path is evident.
“We’ve got a lot — a lot — of roads closed in the county with high water,” said Adams County Emergency Management Coordinator Don Willett. “Anybody going anywhere will be turned back. We have roads closed all over the county.”
A tornado cut a path east from Nodaway across the county south of Highway 34 Willett said.
“We have five or six residents hit by the tornado,” said Willett. “We have residents in Prescott being evacuated because of high water. Water is almost over Highway 148 in Corning.”
More severe weather is predicted for later today and into tonight.
“We have a conference call with the national weather bureau at one o’clock today,” said Willett. “Yesterday, they were predicting the storms today were going to be worse than last night. We’ll see what they say this afternoon.”
Disaster
“Union County Board of Supervisors have signed a disaster declaration this morning. It has been sent on to the state,” said Union County Emergency Management Coordinator Roger Nurnberg. “We got reports of 40 residents with damage either from the tornado or high water.”
Nurnberg said at this time he has not finished assessing the damage.
“The county’s electrical infrastructure has been hit in Afton, Arispe and on the Pole Road.” he said.
Nurnberg said there have been several reports of basement flooding.
He urges people to call 641-782-1622 with reports of damage to personal, public or private damage.
“We have enacted the Iowa Mutual Aid Compact,” said Nurnberg. “This is in regard to obtaining barricade material.”
Union County Board of Supervisors and Union County Engineer Scott Nixon have been assessing damages to the road infrastructure throughout Union County.
“We lost a lot of rock,” said Union County Board of Supervisor Chairman Mike King. “There has also been a lot of damage to tubes and culverts.”
King said there is a meeting planned today to compile a list of damages to send on to Gov. Chet Culver.
“We appreciate the efforts of law enforcement, fire and utility crews, who worked through the night to keep people safe,” said King. “We are thankful there were no injuries. They all did a stellar job.”
