NE Iowa EF5 Tornado - 5/25/08

[IvelDesigns]

So this weekend I had a pretty close call, even though i had no idea how close until the next day. These are some pics i took of the aftermath of an EF5 tornado that tore a 43 mile long path through my old stomping grounds.

This pic is almost exactly 6.2 miles away from where my parents, my kids and I were all at.



here's what appears to be a camaro that didn't make it:



this was in a building. after the building left, we assumed the grater rolled 3 times. you can see in the ground where it was on it's roof before resting here.



the axle way out in the field on this pic belonged to a county truck that was parked next to the road grater above. lurch115 has some info on some of the other parts that were found, but at the time, this axle was the only thing that could be found of it.



this graveyard was lined by trees on the west and north sides. Now, 2 trunks remain standing.



not sure what this is:



poor truck:



another chevy that didn't make it:

[IvelDesigns]

leave it to the ol' chevy truck to be the only thing left standing on this farm:

[71swb4x4]

That's crazy. It's horrible that so many lives were lost. You never know when it's your time, live life to the fullest every day!

[shaneschevys]

Holy crap. Glad to see yall are ok.

[Brad]

OMG, that's terrible! How sad for the families and that 1st Gen Camaro.

[caminokid]

I have never seen vehicles destroyed by a tornado. I mean some of those trucks were just ripped apart. For the people that owned them...wow...just wow. Glad your ok. Glad it missed you.

[72BlckButy]

Those are horrific pics Ivel... glad to hear that you and your's made it out okay. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this tornado.

[LockDoc]

The town of Parkersburg was all but wiped out. Here is a link to some video of the destruction taken by a news helicopter.

http://www.whotv.com/Global/category...av=menu100_5_1

There is a short ad before the video starts.

There are some pictures here also.

http://www.whotv.com/Global/category...&nav=menu100_5

Click on the slideshow link. If you put your cursor on the right side of the large picture an arrow will appear so you can scroll through the pictures. One pickup ended up in a basement....

LockDoc
.

[dan42]

I will take my chances with earthquakes, thank you very much. Prayer is going out to those people and I consider Iowa to be my second home. My heart goes out to those who have gone through so much.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Wow! 43 MILES of damage?

That camaro *was* a '67.

[SactoJim]

Grew up in that neck of the woods myself......tornado season can be pretty scary.

That's crazy destruction and I heard it's been like 35 years since an F5 tornado had hit Iowa.

[steelhorse]

Mother nature needs some pamprin

[72BlckButy]

Leon the video and pics just show more devastation... again hope all our IA members/families/friends made it through ok.

[coggonobrien]

first f5 in iowa since 1976, 4 of the people that died were sucked out of their basements

[BACKYARD88]

I'm with Shane, Holy Crap! Glad you and yours are OK.

[72 Super]

That sure is terrible.I hope everyone can recover from it with time.

Ray

[68C15]

prayers go out to all especially those who lost loved ones.



on a side note; intersting how the newer vehicles and buildings are destroyed while old stuff stands strong

[Blue'72]

Originally Posted by dan42

I will take my chances with earthquakes, thank you very much. Prayer is going out to those people and I consider Iowa to be my second home. My heart goes out to those who have gone through so much.

I agree, prayers go out to all involved! I'll take the rain and cloudy skies however..

[ed2552]

My dad works for Christensen Farms, and if those tornadoes had gone 10 mile north or south of where they did, catastrophic damage would have occurred to a lot of hog farms. They got very lucky, but it is sad to hear what happened there and in Hugo, MN. I saw a news video of a place where the house and shed were completely destroyed, but a 72 Chevelle was perfectly fine