Seven people, including two children, died after a tornado hit Iowa on Saturday, according to local authorities reported by CNN.
Both children who died were under the age of five, Madison County Emergency Management Director Diogenes Ayala told CNN. “This is, I think, the worst disaster we have seen in a long time.“, he also said.
The tornado, which ripped through several counties near the city of Des Moines, also seriously injured several people.
The National Weather Service office in Des Moines said an early estimate shows it was an EF3 tornado, with wind speeds of at least 140 mph (220 km/h).
“This is an outsized and widespread storm“said the director of emergency management while highlighting serious damage to many habitations in the area.
One person in a rural area near the town of Chariton in Lucas County was also killed and several people were injured in that area, according to Mike Lamb, emergency management coordinator for Lucas, Appanoose, Davis counties. and Monroe.
The tornado caused damage to multiple homes, buildings, power lines and vegetation, Lamb said in the Sunday morning statement. Two people were injured in Polk County, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
The National Weather Service had warned that a “large and extremely dangerous storm” was heading near Des Moines, and that an alert had been issued to the population for the inhabitants of the affected areas to take shelter.
The weather also caused significant property damage. Operations are underway to assess the damage and assist residents.
–
