The town of Greenfield, Iowa, resembled a war zone on Thursday with uprooted trees and overturned cars in all directions and splintered wood that was once part of homes and businesses. Residents searched for belongings and family heirlooms in the rubble left by a devastating tornado that ripped through the community, killing four people.
A swarm of at least 26 twisters roared through Greenfield and other parts of Iowa and five other Midwestern states on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. The funnel cloud that tore through Greenfield was confirmed by the National Weather Service to be an EF-4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with maximum wind speeds reaching 185 mph. It was on the ground for approximately 44 miles.
A fifth person was killed in what is believed to be a tornado-related incident about 25 miles from Greenfield, officials said.
Besides those killed, 35 people were injured in Greenfield, which is about 60 miles southwest of Des Moines.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday that at least 202 homes in Iowa were destroyed or sustained major damage. She said she expanded a disaster declaration from 15 to 32 counties and has submitted an application for disaster relief to FEMA and the White House.




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