Video Shows Apocalyptic Tornado Bearing Down on Small Town
A series of violent tornadoes tore through central and southwest Iowa on Tuesday, leaving behind widespread destruction, multiple casualties, and even leveling nearly an entire down. And footage of one massive twister, in particular, shows just how harrowing the situation was for residents.
While tornados were reported in towns such as Red Oak, Prescott, Corning, and Greenfield, the Weather Channel obtained footage from Carbon, about an hour and a half southwest of Des Moines. The footage, shot by storm chasers, looked like something straight out of an apocalypse movie, as the enormous cyclone completely engulfed the road ahead.
"What a monster. What a monster! I don't even know what to say," a man's voice can be heard saying in the background of the video.
Storm chaser and photographer Stephen Jones also captured a "haunting" still image of the Carbon tornado.
"Haunting photo of the Carbon, Iowa tornado that crossed close range and leveled houses right before my eyes," Jones posted to social media on Tuesday, adding that he and his crew checked on all parties and everyone had safely made it to shelter.
Haunting photo of the Carbon, #Iowa #Tornado that crossed close range and leveled houses right before my eyes. We checked on all parties, and they were in the shelter! #disaster #storm @Tornado_Warned @Jariy pic.twitter.com/FYsgomWDE5
— Stephen Jones (@Tornado_Steejo) May 21, 2024
In drone footage taken outside of Greenfield, IA, another tornado could be seen taking down windmills with ease. The nearby town, home to about 2,000 residents, was largely destroyed in the extreme weather. "Most of this town is gone … there's no other way to put it. Most of this town is gone," said Fox Weather storm tracker Brandon Copic.
Check out this INSANE DRONE intercept of violent #tornado tearing down windmills with FULL video uploaded to YT premiering now - https://t.co/qD2YxpK2GF pic.twitter.com/9xour6iJk9
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) May 22, 2024
On Tuesday evening, Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla confirmed in a press conference that there had been multiple fatalities in Greenfield.
"Earlier today, the town of Greenfield was struck by a devastating tornado," Dinkla said. "Local, county, and state emergency responders quickly initiated search and rescue operations once the tornado passed through the area."
"Sadly, we can confirm there were fatalities and injuries within the community of Greenfield from this tornado," he added. "We are still working to assess and update this information as it becomes available."