An event in the Hamilton County town of Stratford last night (Sunday) marked one year since a tornado hit the community, killing one person and demolishing several homes and businesses. The gathering in the Stratford school gym looked back at the storm November 12th and the many businesses and people who pitched in to clean up.
Reverend Michael Stady, disaster response coordinator for the Lutheran Services of Iowa office, was among the speakers. Stady says he’s excited and proud of all the work that was done to get the community and its residents back on their feet after the tornado hit. Grace Lambert, who helped organize the ceremony, also spoke to the many people who gathered in the gym.
Now that it’s been a year since the tornado, Lambert says it’s important to recognize the many people who contributed to the recovery effort. Reverend Stady gave the closing prayer at the service. Stady said they’d never want to go through such a storm again but thanked God for all of the people who were involved in the recovery process. The same storm system also spun off a large tornado in the town of Woodward and caused damage in at least 12 other Iowa counties with hail and high winds.