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'Always worse than you can imagine': Cleanup efforts underway in Minden, Iowa, following devastating storms
Davon Taylor
'Always worse than you can imagine': Cleanup efforts underway in Minden, Iowa, following devastating storms
IT’S JUST AMAZING. AND NOW WE WANT TO GO TO THE DAMAGE IN IOWA TOWN OF MINDEN, DIRECTLY HIT BY A TORNADO. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S QUANECIA FRASER IS THERE IN QUANECIA. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING. YEAH, ROB, WE’RE ACTUALLY OUTSIDE OF MINDEN RIGHT NOW BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE IS A ROAD CLOSED SIGN BEHIND ME. YOU CAN’T EVEN GET INTO TOWN. NOW TO DESCRIBE WHAT THIS TOWN IS GOING THROUGH IS SO HARD TO DO WITH WORDS. I TALKED WITH A WOMAN AND MAN WHOSE GARAGE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. ALL THAT’S LEFT IS THEIR TWO CARS THAT WERE PARKED IN THERE. AND LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEY WERE READY FOR WHAT WAS COMING. THEY SAY THEY KNEW WHAT WAS COMING. THEY WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE STORM COVERAGE ON THE NEWS, BUT THEY WEREN’T QUITE READY FOR IT TO BE AS BAD AS IT WAS. JENNIFER MCDERMOTT SAYS. IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST. SHE REMEMBERS HEARING A REALLY LOUD NOISE WHILE SHE WAS SHELTERING IN PLACE, BUT BY THE TIME SHE GOT OUT OF HER HOUSE, THE DAMAGE WAS DONE. WE’RE JUST HAPPY WE’RE SAFE. UM, MY MOM’S SAFE. MY MY FAMILY’S SAFE. UM, YOU KNOW, THIS STUFF CAN BE REPLACED, BUT. BUT THE TOWN’S BEEN HIT. UM, WE’D APPRECIATE ANYBODY THAT CAN COME OUT TO HELP OUR SMALL COMMUNITY. IT’S A GREAT COMMUNITY. A VERY DIFFICULT TIME FOR THIS FAMILY AND COUNTLESS OTHERS IN MINDEN. WE’LL HAVE UPDATES ON HOW YOU CAN HELP THE TOWN OF MINDEN ONLINE AND ON OUR KETV MOBILE APP FOR NOW. REPORTING LIVE OUTSIDE OF MINDEN, IOWA QUANECIA FRASER KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN. ALL RIGHT. QUANECIA THANKS NOW KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S JESSICA PEREZ IS ALSO IN MINDEN TONIGHT. JESSICA, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? YEAH, WE’RE RIGHT BY THE ENTRANCE OF THE SIGN SAYING WELCOME TO MINDEN AND WE’RE STILL SEEING THAT THE ROAD IS CLOSED OFF FOR ANYONE THAT DOES NOT LIVE IN THE TOWN OF MINDEN. THAT GOES FOR BOTH ENTRYWAYS INTO THE TOWN. AND IF YOU’RE STILL LOOKING FOR A WAY TO GET OUT OF TOWN, THERE IS TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED AT ON AT THE CHURCH ON THE WEST SIDE, THE POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE TELLS US THAT BETWEEN 40 AND 50 HOMES WERE DESTROYED DURING THE TORNADO GOING THROUGH, AND TWO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. ONE OF THEM IS SERIOUS, BUT NOT LIFE THREATENING, ACCORDING TO THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE. THE TORNADO CAME THROUGH HERE JUST BEFORE 6:00 AND IT BROKE A GAS LINES, CAUSING LEAKS. NOW THOSE ARE ALL UNDER CONTROL AT THIS TIME, BUT THE CITY STILL DOESN’T HAVE POWER RIGHT NOW. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR RESOURCES, YOU ARE ASKED TO GO TO THE PERSIA FIRE STATION. TELL ME WHERE YOU WANT ME. I’VE HEARD JUST. AND THIS IS ANECDOTAL, BUT I’VE HEARD ABOUT 20 PEOPLE OR SO WERE ASSISTED OUT OF HOMES. THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE JUST MEN. AND THERE WERE A COUPLE OTHERS AREAS IN PAWNEE THAT WERE HIT, ALTHOUGH NOT TO THIS EXTENT, BUT WE HAD TO HELP SOME PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES. ALSO. AGAIN, IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF RESOURCES, GO TO THE PERSIA FIRE STATION. THE RED CROSS IS GOING TO BE SET UP THERE FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT TO HELP ANYONE THAT’S BEEN IMPACTED IN MINDEN LIV
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'Always worse than you can imagine': Cleanup efforts underway in Minden, Iowa, following devastating storms
Davon Taylor
One of the most heavily impacted communities in Friday night's storms was Minden, Iowa.Officials think about half the town is destroyed. On Saturday morning, around 8 a.m., the city opened for residents to be able to start their cleanup and recovery."It's just a real devastating situation when you come and see a loved one that has experienced loss of this nature," said Beverley Schenkel, whose brother's farmland was part of the destruction.Now, she is helping him clean up, saying that is all that is left. "It's always worse than you can imagine when you see loss and destruction of this nature and just a reminder of how strong mother nature is," Schenkel said.Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds took a tour of the wreckage and put emergency policies in place. "We signed a disaster proclamation last night, which opened up state resources and individual assistance for the community," Reynolds said.She said emergency responders are on the ground and working to remove debris. "We got DNR that's on the ground. So, they make sure that we're getting the scraps put away properly to help facilitate that process and then we'll just assess what we need to do next, what next steps are," Reynolds said.One woman described the moments when her son's farm property was damaged. "Those are all our bands. So, you can see it. It took the roof off of that barn, but it didn't touch the corn because it left the corn at a point," the woman said.Minden's mayor broke down at one point. He suffered damage to his home and business in 1976 and now in 2024. Community members are hopeful that they will recover. The mayor said that a curfew will still remain in effect until further notice.More coverage of Iowa tornadoesFinding a needle in a haystack: Osceola family looks for precious memory in tornado wreckage‘We all come together’: Pleasant Hill fire chief proud of response after Friday’s tornadovlog meteorologist Zane Satre captures video of Union County tornado

One of the most heavily impacted communities in Friday night's storms was Minden, Iowa.

Officials think about half the town is destroyed.

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On Saturday morning, around 8 a.m., the city opened for residents to be able to start their cleanup and recovery.

"It's just a real devastating situation when you come and see a loved one that has experienced loss of this nature," said Beverley Schenkel, whose brother's farmland was part of the destruction.

Now, she is helping him clean up, saying that is all that is left.

"It's always worse than you can imagine when you see loss and destruction of this nature and just a reminder of how strong mother nature is," Schenkel said.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds took a tour of the wreckage and put emergency policies in place.

"We signed a disaster proclamation last night, which opened up state resources and individual assistance for the community," Reynolds said.

She said emergency responders are on the ground and working to remove debris.

"We got DNR that's on the ground. So, they make sure that we're getting the scraps put away properly to help facilitate that process and then we'll just assess what we need to do next, what next steps are," Reynolds said.

One woman described the moments when her son's farm property was damaged.

"Those are all our bands. So, you can see it. It took the roof off of that barn, but it didn't touch the corn because it left the corn at a point," the woman said.

Minden's mayor broke down at one point.

He suffered damage to his home and business in 1976 and now in 2024.

Community members are hopeful that they will recover.

The mayor said that a curfew will still remain in effect until further notice.

More coverage of Iowa tornadoes

Finding a needle in a haystack: Osceola family looks for precious memory in tornado wreckage

‘We all come together’: Pleasant Hill fire chief proud of response after Friday’s tornado

vlog meteorologist Zane Satre captures video of Union County tornado

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