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(Des Moines, IA) -- Hundreds of volunteers are beginning the task of cleaning up after a deadly tornado that hit Winterset Saturday, March 5th. The National Weather Service estimates that based on damage the twister was at least an E-3, packing winds of 136-to-150 miles per hour. The tornado was on the ground for 13.7 miles.
Madison County Emergency Management says there were six fatalities, and six people injured. The twister damaged or destroyed 52-homes in Madison County.
Teresa Houg and her husband Don are among those cleaning up damage to their property south of Winterset. They were both home when the twister hit. Houg says she heard it coming and could see black, angry clouds before it hit their property. She says she heard crashing and booming. She says it didn't last long, but ripped off part of the upper story on their home and flattened seven out buildings on their property.
Don Houg says the tornado sounded like a train coming down the road, and then he noticed several pine trees in his front yard swirling thru the air.
Houg says as soon as it the storm was over, he ran across the road to check on his neighbors, and discovered one of them, 64-year-old Rodney Clark, had died in the storm.
The other fatalities include:
Melissa Bazley, 63
Cecilia Lloyd, 72
Michael Bolger, 37
Kenley Bolger, 5
Owen Bolger, 2
The National Weather Service says there were at least three thunderstorms that spawned tornados Saturday. The NWS says damage survey crews are in the process of compiling data, which could take several days.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds declared a state disaster emergency Saturday night, and says she has been in contact with federal authorities as well. Reynolds and Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg toured damaged areas of Winterset today (Sunday).
"Devastating, it was unimaginable the destruction that we saw during the (damage) tour," said Reynolds. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones and those who were impacted by the storm."
Reynolds said she saw 200-to-300 volunteers who were from Madison County, and elsewhere who showed up early this (Sunday) morning to start helping She says she thanked them, and she says they typically replied "We're Iowans, and that's what we do, we show up, we take care of our family, our neighbors, and our community."