Possible Tornadoes, Flash Flooding As Storms Tear Through

By Mark Geary & Aaron Hepker, KCRG-TV9 News

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By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Jun 21, 2009 at 10:46 PM CST

Story Updated: Jun 22, 2009 at 1:46 PM CST

EASTERN IOWA - Reports of tornadoes, funnel clouds and flash flooding accompanied a round of severe storms that moved through Eastern Iowa Sunday.

Tornado reports came in from Iowa Falls, Owasa, Holland, Wellsburg, Marengo and Kalona. The National Weather Service will be sending survey teams out to these areas to evaluate damage caused by these storms to determine if a tornado caused the damage. The teams will also evaluate the strength of any tornadoes that touched the ground.

Possible Tornado Damage in Grundy County
Wind yanked the roof off a hog gestation building, tore it to shreds, but spared the lives of the livestock inside. Within minutes, neighbors rushed to the scene to help.Stacie Dudden owns the farm, she said, "It's just great to know that friends and neighbors are there to support you."

With siding ripped off the wall and twisted around and other debris, it is hard to believe there was actually a person inside the farm building who ran out moments before all the storm hit. Jim Jones was inside the building, "I saw a piece of roof coming, so I just dove underneath the pick-up truck near the house." It's not the first time Jim Jones cheated death, a tornado nearly took his life back in the 1960s. "Either somebody's out to get me, or I'm really lucky. I don't know which," he adds.

Either way, everyone just feels grateful no one got hurt and the storm didn't cause more severe damage to nearby towns and homes.

Widespread Flash Flooding
Flash flooding also caused problems for much of Eastern Iowa. TV9's First Alert Pinpoint Doppler Radar estimates that 1-5 inches of rain fells in portions of Eastern Iowa in just a few hours Sunday night. Several roads in the Iowa County community of Marengo were closed as water covered them. Callers into the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom reported Flash Flooding in Washington & Louisa Counties as well. The Louisa County Sheriff's Department tells TV9 that portions of Highways 92 & 70 were closed due to water over the roads, along with many other roads in the county.

E-mail Mark Geary at Mark.Geary@kcrg.com or follow him on Twitter.

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