The Iowa Department of Public Safety has reported that after a devastating tornado struck the town of Greenfield, Iowa, the death toll is feared to rise. The severe weather event on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of four residents in Greenfield—a small city with a population of approximately 2,000 located 55 miles southwest of Des Moines—and another individual who died after her vehicle was swept away by strong winds 25 miles from the city, via Daily Mail.
The victim was identified as 46-year-old Monica Zamarron. The tornado wreaked havoc, destroying homes, snapping trees, and damaging vehicles throughout Greenfield, with search crews diligently sifting through debris on Wednesday to ensure no one was left unaccounted for. “It’s still a search mission as far as we’re looking to be sure all residents are accounted for,” stated Sergeant Alex Dinkla of the Iowa State Patrol.
The storm also caused significant damage to Greenfield’s local hospital, which was forced to close. At least twelve injured individuals had to be transported to other medical facilities. In response, hospital authorities announced on Facebook that an urgent care clinic would be established at a local elementary school to begin providing primary care services on Thursday.
Furthermore, the tornado damaged large wind turbines outside Greenfield, disrupting power production. The White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, mentioned that the FEMA administrator would visit Iowa to coordinate with state and local officials, expressing condolences for the lives lost and hopes for a swift recovery for the injured.
The adverse weather continued into Tuesday night, affecting parts of Illinois and Wisconsin with power outages, and moved south by Wednesday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue tornado and flash flood warnings in Texas, including a tornado watch for the Dallas area. The aftermath of the tornado also led to flooding in Nebraska, tornado damage in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and dust storms in Illinois, which caused the closure of two interstates.
Jon Porter, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist, noted that the tornado likely traveled over 40 miles on the ground. This event is part of a particularly severe tornado season in the U.S., exacerbated by climate change, which is increasing the intensity of such storms globally. According to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, the U.S. has experienced a significant increase in tornado activity this year, with 859 confirmed tornadoes—27% above the average. Iowa has been the hardest hit, with 81 confirmed tornadoes.