Iowa Tornado Rated State's Strongest In 32 Years

By JAMES BELTRAN, Associated Press Writer

A tornado that leveled half a town in northeast Iowa and killed seven people was the strongest to hit the state in 32 years, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.

Sunday's twister, three-quarters of a mile wide with winds of up to 205 mph, tore a path through Parkersburg and nearby towns. The weather service ranked it an EF5 - at the top of its scale.

"You just don't see many of these around," said Steve Teachout, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Johnston. "There was nothing to hold that storm down. It just blew up."

The nation's last EF5 tornado flattened Greensburg, Kan., and killed 11 people on May 4, 2007. Iowa's last tornado of that size hit June 13, 1976, in the town of Jordan. No one was killed - a rarity for storms of that magnitude, Teachout said.

"When you're talking about that strong a tornado, there's not a lot of structures that will save people," Teachout said. "Really, the only thing left of a house is the foundation."

An estimated 350 homes in and near Parkersburg were destroyed Sunday, and another 100 suffered major damage, Gov. Chet Culver said. About 50 people were injured.

President Bush and Culver have declared Butler County a disaster area, freeing up federal and state aid for tornado victims.

Sunday's death toll could have been much worse, said Butler County spokeswoman Holly Fokkena.

A siren was installed about 10 days ago in southeastern Parkersburg - the area worst hit by the tornado, Fokkena said. Sirens from elsewhere in Parkersburg weren't always audible in that part of town, she said.