A little more than an hour had passed Tuesday after a tornado hit June and Larry Handsacker’s house off of 650th Avenue near Nevada, and their family was already on the scene, pulling valued possessions from the wreckage.
Which, in June Handsacker’s case, are her dolls.
“All my dolls!” she said, pointing to a nearly intact china cabinet just inches from where the tornado cleaved her home in half on Tuesday afternoon. ”And those were just the dolls I bought, not the ones I made.”
She was in the dining room when the tornado passed through her home. She had left her husband in the basem*nt for a moment to grab her phone when insulation came crashing down around her. They had to crawl over the debris to get out.
“I have over 100 porcelain dolls — ceramic pieces I made,” Handsacker said. “We don’t know where they are yet. It’ll be a matter of getting in there.”
Her own grandparents lost their home in the five-tornado spree that touched down in Charles City in 1968, and her grandfather was trapped for three days in his car.
She said she and her husband know they’re lucky they came away unscathed; they believe that God was looking out for them.
“It pays to teach Sunday school!," she said. "Do you know how horrible those kids behave?”
Where did tornadoes hit on Tuesday?
No tornadoes will officially be confirmed until the National Weather Service can send survey crews into the field.
Story County officials say a tornado traveled through Cambridge, Nevada, and Colo on the eastern edge of the county Tuesday evening, knocking down power lines, damaging houses, and scattering debris throughout the area.
The Story County tornado was seen on an Iowa DOT video feed crossing Highway 30 near the intersection with S27 just east of Nevada, heading north. Officials say the storm system produced wind gusts of 70 mph.
Story County Emergency Management encourages residents in need of shelter or assistance to call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767.
Other unofficial reports from trained weather spotters throughout Tuesday included: A cluster of sightings in southwest Iowa in Cromwell, Prescott, Corning, Carbon, Red Oak and Villisca. Greenfield in southwest Iowa also appeared to be particularly hard hit. southeast of Polk City.
InGreenfield, Iowa, a tornado killed multiple residents, injured dozens of people and flattened much of the town. The exact number of those injured or killed in the tornado has yet to be determined.
In other areas of the state, wind gusts of up to 71 mph were reported, which resulted in roofs blown off, trees down and power outages. Central Iowa experienced heavy rain in the mid-morning and evening.
How much rain fell Tuesday?
The City of Ames reported 2.65 inches of rain on Tuesday, and the Boone Municipal Airport recorded 1.6 inches.
No injuries or fatalities have been reported, according to Story County Emergency Management.
Colo was the only community without power, according to Emergency Management Coordinator Melissa Spencer. Officials were working with the power company Tuesday to restore electricity.
First responders continue to assess life safety and damages. Emergency Management has asked that residents stay out of the damaged areas.
More information will be posted on Story County's website.
South side of Nevada heavily impacted
While the tornado didn't travel through Nevada's city limits, City Administrator Jordan Cook said damage was reported south of town.
"A lot of the damage occurred along 270th Street and further south," Cook said.
The city didn't record any power outages. Cook said the city and Story County are working to restore power south of town and hope everyone will have electricity shortly.
Nevada Mayor Brett Barker said Story County Emergency Management is taking the lead in cleaning up and restoring power.
Cook said the city is setting up a site off 270th Street for residents to dispose of tree debris only.
Rural areas of Cambridge report debris after tornado dust settles
Tuesday's tornado reportedly crossed Highway 210 and through the eastern edge of Cambridge.
Dee Gibbs, whose parents live just a mile from the damaged areas, was coming through the leftover debris Wednesday morning.
"It knocked down a lot of electrical poles," Gibbs said. "Big trees are down, power lines are down; it totally tore all the buildings down. Grain bins were picked up and thrown into the field, and there was a car in the field."
Gibbs is a utility billing clerk for Cambridge. She said the northeast portion of town and the south side of Nevada were still without electricity Wednesday morning.
