National

Iowa tornadoes spawned by heavy storms cause severe damage; injuries reported

DES MOINES, Iowa – A string of "sudden" tornadoes ran roughshod through central Iowa, injuring workers at a manufacturing plant in Pella and pulling apart buildings in Bondurant and Marshalltown.

Marshalltown’s first warning that a tornado was barreling toward its downtown came from State Center’s police chief, who called the city to warn officials of the imminent danger.

Without that warning, many residents likely would have been seriously injured — or worse, Marshalltown police Capt. Brian Batterson said.

As it was, the storms slammed the city's downtown, with the courthouse and city hall both seriously damaged. Marshalltown was the last of three central Iowa communities caught in the tornadoes' path.

The first was Bondurant , which had at least 12 damaged houses, upended trees and downed power lines. Pella was hit second.

No fatalities had been reported as of mid-Thursday evening.

Two manufacturing plants — Lenox in Marshalltown and Vermeer in Pella — were heavily damaged.

"We certainly are going to rebuild, and we're going to come back stronger than ever," CEO Jason Andringa said, his voice choked with emotion.

Seven people at Vermeer were injured and 10 people were being treated at a Marshalltown hospital for injuries.

In addition, the top of the clock tower on the Marshall County Courthouse was toppled; roofs were stripped from several buildings in downtown Marshalltown and an unknown number of houses were damaged.

The National Weather Service said it had reports of “catastrophic damage” in the community.

Meteorologists said they were surprised by the sudden formation of several supercell storms that formed over Iowa.

"This morning, it didn't look like tornadic supercells were possible," said Alex Krull, a meteorologist with the service in Des Moines. "If anything, we were expecting we could get some large hail if strong storms developed."

But they developed fast and strong.

Amy Halter was about to leave work when a co-worker looked out the window and saw the tornado rumbling toward the Marshall County Courthouse across the street from her workplace downtown.

“He said ‘Run!’ and we ran,” said Halter, who works at a law office across the street from the courthouse. “This is the scariest thing I’ve been through — and I have cancer.”

About 70 children were at a day camp at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, a historic building near downtown. When the tornado sirens went off, the children were quickly ushered to the basement.

“They told us everyone would be OK, and everyone would be safe,” said Tyler Dorothy, 10.

When staff and the children returned upstairs “everything was gone,” Dorothy said. “The bleachers, the basketball hoops, the roof.”

In Pella, Liz Sporrer, a Vermeer spokeswoman, said emergency workers were treating injured workers and visitors. Damage to the business is extensive, she said.

“We’re carefully walking through, making sure everyone is getting taken care of,” said Sporrer, adding she’s unsure how many people were injured.

No serious injuries were reported in Bondurant, though the town faced significant damage, mostly on Mallard Pointe Drive.

“Multiple homes, multiple families displaced. Extensive, extensive damage, just got destroyed in a couple of areas,” said Lt. Rich Blaylock Polk County’s sheriff’s office spokesman.

The Associated Press and Register reporters Donnelle Eller and Dani Gehr contributed to this story.