OTH man
04-14-2006, 12:16 PM
Strong storms that included tornadoes struck Eastern Iowa on Thursday night, with the worst weather hitting Iowa City and causing widespread damage.
"I was praying," said Jon Keller, 25, who said he hid under the couch in his apartment on Burlington and Linn streets.
As of 12:45 a.m., University Hospitals had treated nine storm victims and Mercy Hospital had treated 12. Their conditions were not immediately clear, but none were fatalities. As of 11:30 p.m., all injuries were considered minor.
Winds and hail destroyed buildings and cars and knocked down trees and power lines.
There were reports of tornadoes in Johnson, Linn, Muscatine and Tama counties, said Dan Ferry, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities. Those reports will need to be confirmed today, he said.
There was also a storm-related fatality in Muscatine County, according to the National Weather Service, which said the fatality occurred when a tornado toppled the victim's mobile home in Nichols. The victim's name was not released.
In Iowa City, Terry Smith of MidAmerican Energy said that 6,200 customers were without power.
An unknown number of people were displaced from their homes, and City High and the University of Iowa Memorial Union were set up as shelters.
The worst of the damage from the storm, which began about 8 p.m. and lasted about an hour, appeared to be in downtown Iowa City and its surrounding areas.
"I saw the tornado. I thought it was a figment of my imagination," said Matt McCurdy, 20, who lives at 226 S. Governor Street.
Most of the roof and a side of Alpha Chi Omega sorority house at the intersection of South Governor and Washington streets was destroyed. Also in the area, trees and power lines were down and there was a strong smell of gas about 9:30 p.m.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Department did not return phone calls Thursday night.
Alexandra King, 20, and her roommates put two couches at the intersection of Governor and College streets to block access to the north.
"The fire department came by and said power lines are down, so we put my couches out there so people cannot get by," she said.
Cars were backed up in all directions trying to find a way out of the neighborhood.
Closer to downtown, the traffic light structures on the north and south side of the intersection of Burlington and Gilbert streets were blown to the ground.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of college-age people roamed the streets talking on cell phones and taking pictures. Thursday is a popular night for students to go to the downtown bars.
Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said the pedestrian mall was closed and cordoned off with yellow tape after reports of looting and gas leaks.
A "small number" of Iowa National Guard soldiers were activated to help maintain security downtown, though that was done as a preventive measure before any reports of problems, said National Guard public affairs officer Lt. Col. Gregory Hapgood. He said he did not know exactly how many soldiers were activated.
At St. Patrick's Catholic Church downtown, half of the roof of the historic church was ripped off completely. The Menard's store on Highway 1 reportedly also had serious roof damage.
Also hard hit was Riverside Drive, where the Dairy Queen was demolished. Across the street at the Hartwig Dodge car dealership, cars were flipped over by strong winds.
The roof of the University of Iowa's motor pool building was blown off, but otherwise the campus appeared to be spared significant damage, spokesman Steve Parrott said.
Still, classes were canceled for today to ensure the safety of students, he said. Staff should report to work unless they are unable to do so because of the storm.
In Coralville, lightning hit two homes in a subdivision near Brown Deer Golf Course. Coralville Fire Chief Dave Stannard said the house at 2187 Westminster Circle, worth about $265,000, was a complete loss. The house at 2189 Westminster sustained about $150,000 damage.
Press-Citizen reporters Rob Daniel, Mike McWilliams and Brian Morelli contributed to this story.
PICS: http://i2.tinypic.com/vfywle.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/vfywzb.jpg
LINK TO A NEWS VIDEO ABOUT IT: http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=2&guideContext=65.73&pmmsid=1633847
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thoes are pics of my sisters soroity house, The Alpha Chi Omega house, she doesnt live there and against my previous thoughts wasnt in there... ill type more later
"I was praying," said Jon Keller, 25, who said he hid under the couch in his apartment on Burlington and Linn streets.
As of 12:45 a.m., University Hospitals had treated nine storm victims and Mercy Hospital had treated 12. Their conditions were not immediately clear, but none were fatalities. As of 11:30 p.m., all injuries were considered minor.
Winds and hail destroyed buildings and cars and knocked down trees and power lines.
There were reports of tornadoes in Johnson, Linn, Muscatine and Tama counties, said Dan Ferry, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities. Those reports will need to be confirmed today, he said.
There was also a storm-related fatality in Muscatine County, according to the National Weather Service, which said the fatality occurred when a tornado toppled the victim's mobile home in Nichols. The victim's name was not released.
In Iowa City, Terry Smith of MidAmerican Energy said that 6,200 customers were without power.
An unknown number of people were displaced from their homes, and City High and the University of Iowa Memorial Union were set up as shelters.
The worst of the damage from the storm, which began about 8 p.m. and lasted about an hour, appeared to be in downtown Iowa City and its surrounding areas.
"I saw the tornado. I thought it was a figment of my imagination," said Matt McCurdy, 20, who lives at 226 S. Governor Street.
Most of the roof and a side of Alpha Chi Omega sorority house at the intersection of South Governor and Washington streets was destroyed. Also in the area, trees and power lines were down and there was a strong smell of gas about 9:30 p.m.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Department did not return phone calls Thursday night.
Alexandra King, 20, and her roommates put two couches at the intersection of Governor and College streets to block access to the north.
"The fire department came by and said power lines are down, so we put my couches out there so people cannot get by," she said.
Cars were backed up in all directions trying to find a way out of the neighborhood.
Closer to downtown, the traffic light structures on the north and south side of the intersection of Burlington and Gilbert streets were blown to the ground.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of college-age people roamed the streets talking on cell phones and taking pictures. Thursday is a popular night for students to go to the downtown bars.
Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said the pedestrian mall was closed and cordoned off with yellow tape after reports of looting and gas leaks.
A "small number" of Iowa National Guard soldiers were activated to help maintain security downtown, though that was done as a preventive measure before any reports of problems, said National Guard public affairs officer Lt. Col. Gregory Hapgood. He said he did not know exactly how many soldiers were activated.
At St. Patrick's Catholic Church downtown, half of the roof of the historic church was ripped off completely. The Menard's store on Highway 1 reportedly also had serious roof damage.
Also hard hit was Riverside Drive, where the Dairy Queen was demolished. Across the street at the Hartwig Dodge car dealership, cars were flipped over by strong winds.
The roof of the University of Iowa's motor pool building was blown off, but otherwise the campus appeared to be spared significant damage, spokesman Steve Parrott said.
Still, classes were canceled for today to ensure the safety of students, he said. Staff should report to work unless they are unable to do so because of the storm.
In Coralville, lightning hit two homes in a subdivision near Brown Deer Golf Course. Coralville Fire Chief Dave Stannard said the house at 2187 Westminster Circle, worth about $265,000, was a complete loss. The house at 2189 Westminster sustained about $150,000 damage.
Press-Citizen reporters Rob Daniel, Mike McWilliams and Brian Morelli contributed to this story.
PICS: http://i2.tinypic.com/vfywle.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/vfywzb.jpg
LINK TO A NEWS VIDEO ABOUT IT: http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=2&guideContext=65.73&pmmsid=1633847
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thoes are pics of my sisters soroity house, The Alpha Chi Omega house, she doesnt live there and against my previous thoughts wasnt in there... ill type more later