The tornadoes that hit Iowa in 2008 are now blamed for 13 fatalities. Meteorologist Jeff Johnson says the National Weather Service has adjusted it’s official records after just recently learning of the November death of a Parkersburg resident.
Johnson says the tornado that struck Parkersburg and New Hartford on May 25 is now credited with 9 deaths, instead of 8. Ruth Knock died on November 7 from complications of injuries she suffered in the storm. She was 61.
Johnson says his office heard about Knock’s death from a television network that’s producing a show about the Parkersburg tornado.
"We found out about from The Weather Channel," Johnson said. "We did some checking (and confirmed) the person passed away from injuries resulting from the tornado."
Another tornado on June 11 killed four boy scouts at a campground in western Iowa’s Harrison County. The 13 tornado related fatalities in 2008 equals the total number of deaths in Iowa from tornadoes between 1980 and 2007.
