Volunteers have been pouring into Bradgate to help with the clean-up after a tornado damaged or destroyed nearly every building Friday night. Gaylen Larson’s lived in Bradgate since 1961 and his home was spared. Larson says residents have received a lot of support the past few days. He says people have come in and helped clean up and brought in a lot of food. He says there are a lot caring people. Perry Witkin is with a volunteer group out of the Twin Cities. He says it is very similar to a war area when a tornado comes through, with debris strewn for miles. An Oelwein woman died as a result of a traffic accident related to the flooding in eastern Iowa. The accident happened early Sunday on a Buchanan County road southeast of Hazelton. A car driven by 36-year-old Raymond Wilkenson of Clermont struck a washed out portion of road near the bridge that spans Buffalo Creek. A passenger in the car, 41-year-old Lisa Spicer of Oelwein, was pronounced dead at the scene. Wilkenson was taken to the Oelwein hospital and then transferred to Iowa City, where he’s listed in stable condition. According to the Buchanan Count Sheriff’s Department, neither person was wearing a seatbelt.
