Authorities reported that four adults and two children were killed in a tornado that hit on Saturday (05.02.2022) Madison County in the central US state of Iowa.
At least four other adults were injured in the cyclone, which caused “significant damage to homes and property,” Diogenes Ayala, director of the county emergency service, told reporters. “I think this is the worst that anyone has seen in a long time,” Ayala added.
The National Weather Service’s Des Moines office tweeted at 7:30 p.m. (0130 GMT Sunday) that “the worst of it has ended in Central Iowa.” “The storms are moving east. The easternmost areas, including the Des Moines metropolitan area, are safe,” he added.
The weather service said its survey teams will investigate the damage from the hurricane on Sunday. “This is very devastating for our community,” Ayala said, adding that rescue efforts would continue into the night.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds declared Madison County a state of disaster, allowing public resources to be used for recovery. In December, dozens of devastating tornadoes swept through five US states, killing at least 79 people in Kentucky and others in Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois.
ct (afp, abcnews)
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