Greenfield Iowa Tornado

A Scene Of Devastation. Taken from Social media.

My condolences to the families in Greenfield, Iowa who had friends and family die in the tornado there today. The Iowa State Patrol has confirmed multiple fatalities and several injuries from this specific tornado, one of several that hit Iowa Tuesday. 

The tornadic activity started Tuesday afternoon and continued on through the evening hours as the storm complexes moved from Southwest to Northeast across the state. While Greenfield was not the only community that suffered damage and loss, it was certainly the most heavily hit community.

I don't normally talk here about natural disasters or things outside of cycling, but having been a survivor of an F5 tornado as a youth where 14 people lost their lives and much devastation took place, my heart goes out when I see this happen in my state. 

I have seen damage first hand in my town as a child and as an adult in 2008 after the Parkersburg tornado. I know this town of Greenfield will return strong and new again, but right now this is a major blow and I have somewhat of an idea how that feels. Your life changes in a minute so drastically and you are never the same again. This sticks with you for the remainder of your life. So, my thoughts and my prayers tonight go out to those touched by this disaster.
 

Image from social media.

And again, more damage and loss was felt across the state today outside of Greenfield. My thoughts are also with those who suffered loss due to these storms all across the state. 

We were fortunate in Waterloo to only see some downed trees, branches, and have lost power for a short period of time. We have had over five inches of rain in the past 24 hours or so, and many roads are damaged, flooded, and the rivers are forecast  to flood shortly here for a while. But that said, we've passed through this storm relatively unscathed in comparison. 

This is part of living in the Mid-West, yes, but it hurts sometimes, and this is one of those times. Thanks for bearing with me in posting this today. If you feel so led, please consider finding a responsible way to contribute to Greenfield's recovery.