7 people injured in Pella tornado, released from hospital Share Shares Copy Link Copy Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT WE HAVE LIVE UPDATES FROM SOME OF THE HARDEST-HIT PARTS OF THE STATE. GOOD EVENING. SEVERAL AREAS WERE BATTERED BY THE STORM. HOMES AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS ARE NOW IN SHAMBLES. WE HAVE COVERAGE STARTING WITH SENIOR REPORTER TODD WHERE THE FACT -- MANY FRACTURING PLANT TOOK A DIRECT HIT. WHAT IS THE LATEST FROM THERE? TODD: WE HAVE REALLY GOOD NEWS. WE ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE MANUFACTURING PLANT. IT IS A 70-YEAR-OLD COMPANY. THEY JUST CANNOT AND TALK TO US SAYING THE BEST TEA HAVE COME SEVEN PEOPLE WERE INJURED INSID THE DEMOLISHED PLANT. THEY ARE OK AND WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THEY WERE ALL RELEASED AND ARE DOING WELL. WE HAVE A LOT OF VIDEO TO SHOW YOU OF THIS AREA. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MANUFACTURING PLANT. THIS COMPANY IS 70-YEAR-OLD, ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPANIES IN PELLA. PLANT NUMBER SEVEN, NUMBER FOUR AND ADVANCE TESTING FACILITY -- THERE ARE NEARLY 3000 PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE. THEY HAD A SPECIAL TORNADO WARNING PLANNED THAT THEY HAD PRACTICED. THEY WERE ALL ABLE TO SEEK SHELTER AND THEY ARE ALL OK. THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID ABOUT THE BUILDINGS. ALL THE CARS IN FRONT OF THE BUILDINGS WERE TOSSED AROUND LIKE TOYS. THEY ARE CRUNCHED IN THE PARKING LOT JUST OUTSIDE THE PLANT. THE COMPANY HAS COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN TONIGHT ON THE EAST SIDE OF PELLA. THEY WILL SEND IN TEAMS TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE. WE WILL SHOW YOU THE VAST INSTRUCTION IN PELLA. TH POLICE ARE ALSO ON SCENE. THE ROAD HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN SO NOBODY CAN GET INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. KEEP IN MIND, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE SOME PEOPLE INJURED ARE OUT OF HOSPITAL TONIGHT. SHAINA: THANK YOU. MAX IS ALSO IN PEL TODAY. HE HAS BEEN SURVEYING SOME OF THE DAMAGE OUT THERE. DO WE HAVE HIM LIVE? WE WILL GO STRAIGHT TO MAX. MAX: CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE JUST SAW HOW MUCH DAMAGE THE PLANT EXPERIENCED EARLIER TODAY. TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW STRONG THE SYSTEM WAS, WE WILL SHOW YOU SOME VIDEO OF THE SURROUNDING AREA. THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING WAS TOSSED ACROSS THE SURROUNDING CORNFIELDS. IT SPLIT OUR ALLIANCE IN HALF AND HAS LEFT MANY RESIDENTS WITHOUT POWER TONIGHT. ONE FAMILY SAW A TOWN OF DAMAGE ON THEIR FARM. SEVERAL DOWNED TREES AND WHO OF THEIR BARNS WERE TOSSED IN THE FIELDS. HE LOST A TON OF THEIR CROPS. NONE OF THEIR ROUGHLY 150 CATTLE WERE INJURED. THE FAMILY IS DOING ALL RIGHT TONIGH GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Submit Privacy Notice<doc-sep>FRIDAY, June 20 UPDATE, 5:00 p.m.: The National Weather Service has said tornadoes that touched down in Pella and Marshalltown both reached EF-3 status; Bondurant reached EF-2 status. It has said there were at least five tornadoes in Iowa on Thursday but "a total for the day will not be knowns for several days." UPDATE, 5 p.m.: Gov. Kim Reynolds declared disasters for Lee, Marshall, Polk and Van Buren counties in the wake of the July 19 storms. "The governor's proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program," her office said. "In addition, Gov. Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation Thursday to extend normal hours of service for commercial vehicle drivers assisting with power restoration in Marshall County." UPDATE, 4 p.m.: MARSHALLTOWN, Ia. — Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday visited Pella and Bondurant, both of which were hit by tornadoes Thursday, saying the worst damage was in Marshalltown. “This one was certainly the most widespread,” the governor told reporters after taking a walking tour of downtown that included smashed cars, collapsed buildings, missing roofs and serious damage to the historic Marshall County Courthouse. RELATED:Here's where volunteers can assist in Marshalltown MORE:This map shows every Iowa tornado report from July 19 Reynolds was joined by acting Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and U. S. Rep. Rod Blum, Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer, Iowa House Democratic Leader Mark Smith of Marshalltown, and other state and local officials. “Unbelievable. Unbelievable,” Blum, a Dubuque Republican said as he took photos of missing brick walls on downtown buildings. “It’s like a war zone, “ Blum remarked in astonishment. Ernst, who served in the war in Iraq, expressed sadness at seeing so much damage. “It hurts my heart, “ she told reporters. But Ernst said Iowans are resilient and she had already seen Marshalltown residents pitching in to help make a difference in the town’s recovery. UPDATE, 2:50 p.m.: The National Weather Service rated the Bondurant tornado as an EF-2 at its most powerful, with most of the damage from either an EF-1 or EF-0. It said that the peak winds were 110 mph. It later updated the peak wind estimate to 115 miles an hour. The weather service said it was one of two tornados in Iowa Thursday night. UPDATE, 1:10 p.m.: The National Weather Service said in a tweet that the tornado that struck Pella was rated an EF-3, with peak winds of 144 mph. That makes it the strongest Iowa tornado since an EF-3 on June 22, 2015, that affected Marion, Lucas and Monroe counties. UPDATE, noon: PELLA, Ia. — Gov. Kim Reynolds hugged Mary Andringa, chair of Vermeer manufacturing, Friday as she arrived to tour company facilities badly damaged by a tornado Thursday. After meeting privately with company officials and touring the damage, the Republican governor said it was hard to express the sight of dozens of wrecked cars and trucks, demolished buildings and twisted metal wrapped around poles. “I don’t think until you actually see it you can imagine the amount of damage that was done,” Reynolds said. Jason Andringa, Vermeer’s president and chief executive officer, said at least one tornado shelter is located in each of the company’s buildings. He said one part of production will resume next week and he hopes more than half of production can be back by late next week. But other fixes will take a while. “It will likely be a while before the Vermeer Mile will be up to what it was a few days ago,” Jason Andringa said. UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: Bondurant, Ia. — Gov. Kim Reynolds toured tornado damage here Friday, consoling local residents and promising state assistance while expressing thanks the disaster didn’t claim any lives. “We are so blessed no one was killed," Reynolds said. Bondurant Mayor Curt Sullivan, state Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Bondurant, and others briefed the governor. They described a strong response by emergency workers, volunteers, neighbors and others. Both the football and baseball teams at the local high school pitched in to assist with the clean up. “This is what Iowans do," Reynolds said. The governor hugged Holly Manning, whose home was badly damaged when the tornado struck while her husband and a 3-month-old baby were home. “We survived. We are safe,” Manning told the governor. Friday's coverage: Full coverage:What we know about Thursday's 'catastrophic' tornadoes UPDATE, 9:15 a.m. John Benson, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said Friday morning that the state’s Emergency Operations Center was opened Thursday night at Camp Dodge in Johnston to help coordinate the state’s disaster response. Benson said that at the badly damaged Vermeer manufacturing plant in Pella, technical assistance was provided by an urban search-and-rescue team from Cedar Rapids due to structural collapses. Some team members arrived Thursday night and demobilized about 4 a.m. Friday and returned home. In Marshalltown, state officials have worked to supplement emergency radio communications by sending some stand-alone communications trailers that are being utilized, he added. “I would suspect that as we go through the day, we will see some more pointed requests come out of Marshall and possibly Marion counties as well, and obviously Pella,” Benson said. Because the communities will be dealing with a large amount of debris, there may be requests to the state for assistance in hauling debris and providing heavy equipment to place debris in dump trucks, Benson said. Benson said state officials will start asking counties like Polk, Marion, Marshall and others impacted by the storms and tornadoes if they have needs for the state’s individual assistance program. The program provides financial assistance — with an income requirement — to people who might not have had insurance or something similar, he added. “The only thing the governor has done in terms of emergency proclamations is that last night she signed one that provides for a waiver of hours for truckers to drive so resources like power poles” can be transported beyond normal hours allowed by government regulations. An Iowa National Guard spokesman confirmed Friday that no Iowa National Guard troops have been mobilized in response to the storm and tornado damage. UPDATE, 8:34 a.m. Clean-up efforts and damage assessment after Thursday's tornado outbreak started before the sun rose on Bondurant, Marshalltown and Pella — the Iowa towns hit hardest. Here is a list of resources and plans to deal with the aftermath. UPDATE, 8 a.m. Two of Marshalltown’s elementary schools, Woodbury and Franklin, sustained significant damage, but district Superintendent Theron Schulte was hopeful repairs could be completed before school resumes Aug. 23. Both elementary buildings have roof damage, although Franklin’s appears to be far worse. The rubber membrane roof was lifted by the tornado and tossed almost a football field away, landing on homes, Schulte said. FROM THURSDAY, June 19 UPDATE, 7:30 p.m.: Tornado watches have been canceled for all but two Iowa counties, and severe weather has moved out of the state. National Weather Service Meteorologist Rod Donavon said Thursday evening that tornado survey teams would travel Friday to Bondurant, Pella and Marshalltown to assess the strength of Thursday’s storms. He said it was too soon to say the number of tornadoes that might have formed in the state. MORE IOWA TORNADO COVERAGE: UPDATE, 6:45 p.m..: UnityPoint's Marshalltown facility posted this message on Facebook Thursday: "UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown was struck by a tornado at approximately 5 p.m. today, July 19, 2018. There are no patient or staff injuries reported within the hospital but the building did sustain structural damage. Therefore, we are evacuating patients to UnityPoint Health – Waterloo and UnityPoint Health – Grundy Center and are unable to take incoming patients. The ER will be open to help triage patients." UPDATE, 5:55 p.m..: Liz Sporrer, a spokeswoman for Vermeer Corp., a farm and construction equipment manufacturer in Pella, 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. “Our No. 1 priority is to get team members safely home,” she said. The business also was hosting visitors at a special event. The company employs about 2,500 workers in Pella; about 3,000 globally. Gov. Kim Reynolds tweeted: "Devastated to see the destruction from today's severe storms & tornadoes. Praying for all Iowans impacted & for the emergency management crews responding tonight." UPDATE, 5:50 p.m.: No significant injuries or deaths were reported in Bondurant, though the town faced significant damage. The most significant damage was faced 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 area was blocked off Thursday afternoon because of gas leaks. Only residents and officials are being let into town. Blaylock said it’s going to take “time to find all the gas leaks.” Displaced residents are being sheltered at Federated Church and the Bondurant Fire Station. Blaylock said there are no estimates for those displaced or the amount of damage. Many city buildings did not have electrical power. UPDATE, 5:40 p.m.: Vermeer manufacturing facility in Pella sustained a "direct hit" during Thursday's severe weather. Injuries were reported, but the extent was not immediately clear. Over 14,000 customers of MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy were without power Thursday evening. UPDATE, 5:05 p.m.: Reports to the National Weather Service indicated that the Marshalltown area had suffered "catastrophic damage" in tornadoes Thursday. Severe storms flipped vehicles, ripped off the tops of buildings and demolished trees and power lines. UPDATE, 4:55 p.m.: There was little warning that dangerous severe weather was possible Thursday afternoon; no tornado watch was announced until after an initial tornado warning was issued for Polk County. A number of supercell storms suddenly formed over Iowa, taking weather forecasters at the National Weather Service in Des Moines by surprise, the Associated Press reported. Alex Krull, a meteorologist with the service in Des Moines, said Thursday afternoon that forecasting models produced in the morning showed only a slight chance of strong thunderstorms later in the day. "This morning, it didn't look like tornadic supercells were possible," Krull said. "If anything, we were expecting we could get some large hail, if strong storms developed." Krull said the weather service expected a severe weather threat to remain in effect through 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. as the storms moved east and north. UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: The National Weather Service has issued a tornado emergency for Marshalltown. "A confirmed large and destructive tornado was located over Marshalltown" at 4:46, moving east, meteorologists said. "This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. TAKE COVER NOW!" UPDATE AT 4:15 p.m.: A tornado touched down Thursday afternoon in the Des Moines suburb of Bondurant, authorities said. Residents were asked to stay inside their homes if it was safe to do so. Several streets were closed, and utility officials were investigating a gas leak, the city said in a news release. Emergency assistance workers were at the Bondurant Community Center to help affected residents. Second Street NE and NW were closed. MidAmerican Energy said over 1,800 customers were without electricity in central Iowa, most of those in Bondurant. ORIGINAL STORY: Iowans are posting videos and photos of spotted funnel clouds as east-moving storms cause tornado warnings in central Iowa. The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for northeastern Marion County, northwestern Mahaska County and southern Jasper County. The watch affects most of southeastern Iowa. Brooke Hagenhoff, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Polk County's tornado warning, which was in effect at 3:01 p.m., was downgraded to a watch as storms headed east. The watch will last until all counties are cleared. For those under a tornado warning, the National Weather Service's website says to take cover now as tornadoes have touched ground. Hagenhoff said phones are currently ringing off the hook with tornado and funnel cloud sightings, but no damages have been reported yet.<doc-sep>
Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT AND INTERVIEWS FROM SURVIVORS. DAVID? DAVID: JULIE, ROB, LOOK AT THE DAMAGER HERE IN PELLA. WE KNOW TONIGHT SEVEN WORKERS WERE INJURED HERE, MORE ON THAT IN A MOMENT. BUT WE’LL BEGIN WITH THE INCREDIBLE VIEWER VIDEO FROM BONDURANT. >> OH MY GOD, OH MY GO HONEY, GET INSIDE DAVID: TWIN TWISTERS. >> THIS ONE WENT RIGHT OVER OUR HOUSE, TO THE NORTH. DAVID: THIS VIDEO SHOWS A NEIGHBORHOOD IN THAT DES MOINES SUBURB RIPPED APART. AS I WAS WALKING ACROSS THE KITCHEN, A CAMPER HIT THE WALL THAT THEY WERE TAKING A NAP IN. DAVID: DOWN THE STREET, TREES TOPPLED AND EMERGENCY CREWS ON SCENE. BUT THE MOST DEVASTATING DAMAGE ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH EAST IN PELLA. DRONE VIDEO SHOWS THE AFTERMATH OF A DIRECT HIT ON THE VERMEER PLANT. PEOPLE CAN’T BELIEVE IT. >> WHAT DID YOU SEE WHEN YOU WALKED U >> JUST A BUNCH OF MANGLED BUILDINGS AND CARS UPSIDE DOWN. IT IS UNREAL. DAVID: LOOK AT THE MESS ON THE GROUND. WE KNOW EMERGENCY CREWS RUSHED TO THE FACTORY THAT MAKES AG EQUIPMENT. WORKERS WERE IN EMERGENCY SHELTER AS THE TORNADO HIT. THE STORM RAINED DEBRIS ONTO THIS WOMAN’S HOME. >> WE’RE ALL OK. AND I’M AMAZED REALLY THAT THE HOUSE IS STILL STANDING, WITH WHAT THE REST OF THE HOUSE LOOKS LIKE. DAVID: 2800 PEOPLE WORK AT THAT FACTORY IN PELLA. EXECUTIVES SAY HALF THE COMPANY’S CAMPUS SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. AGAIN, MINOR INJURIES, BUT NO FATALITIES YET REPORTED FROM THE IOWA STO Advertisement 7 injured when tornado hits Iowa factory Share Shares Copy Link Copy Seven people inside a Pella manufacturing plant when it was struck by a tornado have been treated for injuries at the local hospital and released.Pella Regional Health Center spokeswoman Billie Rhamy confirmed Thursday evening injuries were minor and all patients had been discharged.The factory, which has about 2,800 employees manufacturing industrial and agricultural equipment, was hit by a tornado around 4 p.m. Vice President of Operations Vince Newendorp says the east half of the company's campus, which includes seven manufacturing buildings, sustained extensive damage.He says the plant activated its storm warning system and workers were in shelters when the storm hit.Previous coverage:A spokeswoman for UnityPoint Health says that 40 patients are being evacuated from its hospital damaged by a tornado.UnityPoint Health spokeswoman Amy Varcoe, who is based in Des Moines, says it was unclear how severely the UnityPoint hospital in Marshalltown was damaged, but all of its patients are being transferred to the health system's hospitals in Waterloo and Grundy Center.Previous coverage:Police say people have been taken to a local hospital after a tornado hit a factory in Pella where some people were working.Pella Police Lt. Shane Cox told KCCI-TV some people from Vermeer Manufacturing were taken to a hospital, but he didn't know the extent of injuries or the number of people.He says emergency responders are attempting to get inside the damaged building to see if anyone is trapped inside.One of the factory's several manufacturing buildings sustained extensive damage with metal strewn across the parking lot and across the street into a cornfield. Vehicles were overturned and piled onto others.Previous coverage:Several buildings are reported damaged by a tornado in the main business district in Marshalltown, including the historic courthouse.Initial reports to the National Weather Service indicated the historic Marshall County Courthouse's tower was damaged in a Thursday afternoon tornado, and a weather service spotter reported vehicles overturned and numerous trees down.A woman working at Hammer Medical Supply in the city's downtown says her building has minor damage. She says other nearby buildings including The Orpheum, a theater built in 1948, also are damaged. Another nearby brick building is missing one side leaving the interior living quarters visible to the outside.Marshalltown is a city of 27,000 about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Des Moines.Previous coverage:A large factory in the central Iowa city of Pella has sustained damage from a tornado strike.Vermeer Manufacturing spokeswoman Liz Sporrer confirmed by email the company was hit. She says they were assessing the damage.The company makes agricultural machinery including hay balers and mowers and equipment for the pipeline and forestry management industries.Video from KCCI-TV showed damage to the building and cars stacked atop each other in a parking lot.Previous coverage:A storm system moving eastward across central Iowa is generating several tornadoes.Several funnel clouds developed Thursday from the thunderstorm as it moved north of Des Moines near Bondurant.