Flooding from weekend storms in southwest Iowa has done more than close roads. Union County Emergency Management Coordinator Roger Nurnberg says several farms around Afton suffered damage. Eight or 9 farms in the east side of the county suffered wind damage, and a number of buildings were blown away, he says.
While the Weather Service tries to determine whether it was a tornado or straight-line winds, Nurnberg says, "That doesn’t matter to me — the buildings are still gone." He says the west side of Afton was heavily damaged by hail. They measured hail up to an inch and-a-half in diameter and Nurnberg says, "It’s really beat up the buildings and cars."
Teams are out surveying residents about how well early warnings worked to inform them of the coming storm. They’re asking if people had a radio, weather radio or other system, and if they got warnings from the National Weather Service as well as the local warnings that local officials sent out about the hail.
Nurnberg says there’s more information he needs to get from local residents that will help the recovery from the storms. As residents survey their losses and contact their insurance companies, he’d like a report of the amount of loss, and particularly how much damage isn’t covered by insurance. The number to make those reports to the Emergency Management Coordinator is: (641) 782-1622.