  
Published Thursday
2 Die as Tornadoes Damage Homes, Farms Across Iowa BY DAVE MORANTZ COUNCIL BLUFFS BUREAU Mount Ayr, Iowa - Tornadoes killed two women in southeastern Iowa Wednesday and ravaged parts of southern and southwestern Iowa, destroying five homes in Ringgold County and causing minor damage in Pottawattamie County. In Agency, Mary Ellen Hewitt, 73, and Helen Bacon, 61, both of Ottumwa, were killed while volunteering at a community food pantry in the small town east of Ottumwa. Three other volunteers were injured. Rescue workers had to dig through a pile of rubble to find the victims. The tornado hit about 4:05 p.m. All that remained standing at the community hall was an old upright piano that protected one of the injured women. Earlier in the day, a twister that touched down near Grant City, Mo., roared across Ringgold County and crossed into Union and Clarke Counties. Ringgold County Emergency Management Coordinator Merle Walter said the tornado destroyed five homes and caused major damages to at least 27 farms, killing some livestock. Debbie Klommhaus, who lives southwest of Mount Ayr, saw the tornado coming and ran into her earth-shelter house. While hiding in a bath tub, she saw two tornado tails pass by, Walter said. Miraculously, no one in the county was injured, he said. In town, the twister destroyed more homes and businesses, leveling a day care building and narrowly missing the elementary and high schools. Walter said early damage estimates exceeded $530,000, although that figure was sure to sharply rise. The tornado's path intersected a spot where straight line winds caused more than $300,000 in damage last week, Walter said. "With the number of cells that worked through the state, and the speed at which they were moving, we were very fortunate that there were not more fatalities and injuries," Iowa Emergency Management Division Administrator Ellen Gordon said Wednesday evening. Farther west, Mills County reported damage to machine sheds and outbuildings southwest of Emmerson and east of Malvern. There was some question there whether the damage was caused by a tornado or high winds. In Shelby County, one or two tornadoes tore down tree limbs and damaged houses and buildings near Portsmouth and Tennant. There were no injuries there, either. Damage in Pottawattamie County appeared to be limited. The Sheriff's Office did not receive any firsthand-damage reports, said investigator Jim Matthai. He said there were reports of a twister touching down briefly about four miles east of Council Bluffs, near State Highway 92. There also was a funnel cloud seen west of Hancock. "I don't know if that one ever touched down, though," he said. Oakland Volunteer Fire Chief Lonnie Smith said he heard that one house outside of the small town had some limited damage to its roof, but nothing that required emergency assistance. All of the local reports stemmed from the storms that moved through the area about 1 p.m. Wednesday. The Mount Ayr tornado came from a storm that moved quickly northward through Madison, Dallas, Polk, Story and Hamilton Counties, the National Weather Service said. The Agency twister came from a second line of storms that formed later. Heavy rains from the storms caused the collapse of Cumberland's century-old post office in Cass County. World-Herald staff writers Shannon Henson and Patrick
Strawbridge contributed to this report, which includes material from the
Associated Press.
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