Tornado hits Independence

A tornado touched down about 8:30 this morning in the northeast Iowa town of Independence. Several homes and businesses were damaged, many trees were downed and the railroad tracks are blocked by debris. Marvin Hayward, of Independence, saw the twister. He says they looked up to see debris flying in the air and the tornado quickly flew over. He says the funnel was not big, but it was quick.One person is reported hurt but no condition report or name is available. Sightseers are being asked to stay away due to hundreds of downed power lines and some gas leaks in Independence. There are still scattered power outages.