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(Omaha/Valley, NE) – Officials with the National Weather Service in Omaha, Sunday, said they had confirmed 12 EF-0 spin-up tornadoes associated with the derecho that moved through the region on Friday, May 24th. The Weather Service says “Quasi-Linear Convective System (QLCS) moved acrossthe area during the late night hours where several scattered tornado spin-ups were reported. QLCS tornadoes tend to be weaker and shorter-lived on average than those associated with supercell thunderstorms.”
In southwest Iowa, tornadoes occurred Friday south of Treynor, 3-miles east of Henderson, and two-miles north of Westphalia. Details are posted below:
..South of Treynor Tornado…
Survey Summary:
This very brief spin up remained near Aspen Road and 300th street south of Treynor. Three grain bins were destroyed as well as numerous trees.
Rating: EF0
Estimated Peak Wind: 83 mph
Path Length /statute/: 0.25 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 60 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/24/2024
Start Time: 03:00 AM CDT
Start Location: 4 S Treynor / Pottawattamie County / IA
Start Lat/Lon: 41.175 / -95.6151
End Date: 05/26/2024
End Time: 03:01 AM CDT
End Location: 3 S Treynor / Pottawattamie County / IA
End Lat/Lon: 41.1782 / -95.613
..Henderson Tornado…
Survey Summary:
This brief spin up tornado damaged trees at a farmstead as well as outbuildings.
Rating: EF0
Estimated Peak Wind: 74 mph
Path Length /statute/: 2.09 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 60 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/24/2024
Start Time: 03:10 AM CDT
Start Location: 3 E Henderson / Montgomery County / IA
Start Lat/Lon: 41.1316 / -95.3649
End Date: 05/24/2024
End Time: 03:10 AM CDT
End Location: 4 ENE Henderson / Montgomery County / IA
End Lat/Lon: 41.1582 / -95.3457
..Westphalia/Earling Tornado…
Survey Summary:
This brief spin-up tornado damaged roofs off an outbuilding and downed several trees.
Rating: EF0
Estimated Peak Wind: 80 mph
Path Length /statute/: 0.09 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 40 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/24/2024
Start Time: 03:13 AM CDT
Start Location: 2 N Westphalia / Shelby County / IA
Start Lat/Lon: 41.7524 / -95.3859
End Date: 05/24/2024
End Time: 03:13 AM CDT
End Location: 2 N Westphalia / Shelby County / IA
End Lat/Lon: 41.7531 / -95.3844
*********
EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
EF0…Weak……65 to 85 mph
EF1…Weak……86 to 110 mph
EF2…Strong….111 to 135 mph
EF3…Strong….136 to 165 mph
EF4…Violent…166 to 200 mph
EF5…Violent…>200 mph
NOTE:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the events and publication in
NWS Storm Data.
DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO-TV] – Ryan Hall is a YouTuber and Meteorologist who live-streams severe storms. He and his team were live-streaming Tuesday (May 21st), when an EF4 tornado hit the town of Greenfield in Iowa.
Andy Hill, one of the storm chasers part of Hall’s team was on the ground Tuesday and said that they started raising money as soon as they saw the damage to the town. The non-profit Y’all Squad stream was activated following the Greenfield tornado event, and made available to everyone watching. In the next few hours, they raised $93,000 from those people watching the stream and talking about it.
The Y’all Squad is a charity that Ryan Hall created to help support victims of tornadoes and other severe storms. Caleb Beacham, the Y’all Squad Field Coordinator, said that the charity was formed about 17-months ago for severe storm events, to make it possible for live-stream viewers to donate.
The Y’all Squad arrived hours after the tornado stuck Greenfield and provided critical supplies and meals. They also gave one of the families whose home was destroyed by the tornado $30,000 to help recover.
To learn more about the Y’all Squad, visit the charity’s website.
(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report the driver of a 1999 Chevy Suburban was cited for Driving without a valid license and arrested for OWI, following a property damage accident Saturday night. Authorities say the vehicle driven by 34-year-old Christopher Roland Bird, of Creston, was traveling south on Spruce Street near the intersection of Prairie and Spruce, when Bird turned left off of Spruce to continue east on Prairie. As the Suburban was turning east, it struck a legally parked 2008 Chevy pickup and trailer. The trailer was loaded with two UTV’s. The truck, trailer and both UTV’s were damaged. The damage to those items were estimated at $10,000 altogether, according to Police.
The accident happened at around 10:17-p.m. Police say Bird was unable to provide proof of financial liability (Insurance). His vehicle sustained $5,000 damage. No injuries were reported. Authorities said contributing factors in the crash included “Operating [a] vehicle in a reckless, erratic, careless [or] negligent manner.”
DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — The line of severe storms that swept across Iowa Friday morning was in fact a derecho (pronounced “duh-RAY-cho”). That confirmation came from the Storm Prediction Center, which determined the powerful system met its criteria after plowing through the Midwest from Nebraska all the way to Illinois.
In simple terms, a derecho is a complex of thunderstorms that produces straight-line wind damage over a very long path. That damage path has to exceed 400 miles in length and must be at least 60 miles wide. Wind gusts have to exceed 58 mph (severe thunderstorm criteria) over most of the path, with occasional gusts above 75 mph.
The derecho that walloped Iowa Friday morning checked all those boxes. Reports of 60-70 mph gusts first came out of southwest Nebraska Thursday night. By 3 a.m. Friday, severe winds had arrived in western Iowa and would persist all the way into Illinois.
In Iowa, gusts above the 58 mph threshold were reported as far north as Estherville, and as far south as Highway 92, making the damage swath well over 100 miles wide. Finally, the system produced multiple high-end wind gusts (75+ mph) along its path, including an 83 mph gust in Monona County, 75 mph winds in Greenfield, and an 84 mph gust recorded near Newton.
Many Iowans hadn’t heard of derechos until a particularly powerful one struck Aug. 10, 2020.
Derechos actually happen with some regularity but are rarely as strong as the 2020 storm.
Historically, part of Iowa experiences a derecho every 1-2 years. Since 2010, a total of 14 derechos have hit somewhere in the state.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Two people are in custody following a shooting Saturday evening outside of the Knapp Center in Des Moines. KCCI report Police said officers heard gunfire and recovered one firearm. No one was injured. Several officers with the Des Moines Police Department were already at the Knapp Center due to Roosevelt High School’s graduation ceremony, which was going on inside. Des Moines police said officers heard gunfire around 5:35 p.m. outside of the Knapp Center.
Investigators say a handgun was found on one suspect, while a second one was found in one of their vehicles. Police said they were able to lock down the area quickly, thanks to the police already present. Following the gunshots, Des Moines police said a fight involving more than five individuals broke out inside the arena. Pepper spray was used to break up the fight.
Des Moines Public Schools released the following statement on the incident:
“Late this [Saturday] afternoon, while honoring Roosevelt High School’s graduating class, a number of people ran into Drake University’s Knapp Center and began telling attendees there had been a shooting outside. This caused commotion and a brief disruption to the ceremony while Des Moines Police and Drake Public Safety responded quickly to the scene to ensure everyone inside was safe.
Superintendent Ian Roberts was informed there was no immediate threat to the commencement, shared with the crowd that it was safe inside the arena, and the ceremony resumed so that every graduate present was able to walk across the stage and receive their diploma.
While the incident is not believed to have any direct connection to the Roosevelt commencement ceremony, Principal Steven Schappaugh informed Roosevelt families of changes to [Saturday night’s] Senior Night celebration were made as a precaution and the school district would have additional security in place for two commencement ceremonies on Sunday.”
OMAHA, Neb. [KETV] — Omaha police early Saturday morning, responded to a crowd call near Carter Lake, Iowa, which later turned into a potential shooting incident. KETV says authorities reported that according to officers, one victim told their parents that she may have been shot. Both victims, identified as females, self-transported to the hospital for treatment.
Police said one victim sustained a gunshot wound to the arm, while the other was shot near the head; she is currently in critical condition. Felony assault charges are pending at this time. As of the latest report, no suspects were in custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP.
(Greenfield, Iowa) – Officials with the Adair/Guthrie County Emergency Management Agency have released the name of the fourth person who died as the result the May 21st tornado, EF-4 rated tornado, in Greenfield. 70-year-old Lee* Williamson, of Greenfield, lived in the 200 Block of S. 5th Street when the tornado struck. He was transported from residence to Greater Regional Health Center in Creston, where he succumbed to his injuries. (*corrects first name from original news release)
As previously announced, the three other tornado victims in Greenfield were 78-year-old Dean Wiggins and 77-year-old Pamela Wiggins, who lived in the 800 block of E. Iowa Street, and 73-year-old Michael Jensen, who lived on SE Jackson Street.
The tornado claimed its fifth victim in Adams County, where 49-year-old Monica Irma Zamarron, of Shenandoah, was ejected from her vehicle as it traveled on Highway 148, near Corning.
(Washington, D-C) – President Joe Biden, Friday, approved Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request for a major disaster declaration for severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that struck the counties of Adair, Montgomery, Polk and Story May 21.
FEMA funding is now available to homeowners and renters there.
A declaration was announced earlier this month for homeowners and renters in Clarke, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby and Union counties for severe storms and tornadoes April 26-27.
Key Messages
DRCs open to assist Iowans
Recovery specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration at the centers will provide information
on available services, explain assistance programs and help survivors complete or check the status of their
applications.
Disaster Recovery Center locations:
The centers are a one-stop shop where storm survivors can talk face-to-face with disaster recovery specialists to
learn more about state/federal resources and/or to check on the status of a FEMA registration. Iowans may also
visit DRCs in Nebraska at the Douglas or Washington county locations:
Douglas County DRC
Omaha Police Department Community Room C116
20924 Cumberland Dr
Elkhorn, NE 68022
Hours of operation:
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
Closed Monday for Memorial Day
9 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting Tuesday
Washington County DRC
First Lutheran Church
2146 Wright St
Blair, NE 68008
Closed due to power outage Friday, May 24.
Residents can apply online, through the app or by phone
Here’s how to apply for FEMA assistance:
Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give
FEMA the number for that service. Click here for an accessible video on three ways to apply for FEMA assistance.
Daily Fact Sheet – Iowa Tornadoes and Storms – DR-4779-IA
Learn more at FEMA.gov/disaster and Iowa Emergency Management
Have this information ready when you apply with FEMA
Only one registration per household is needed. When you apply, please have the following information available:
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County (IA) Community Wellness Coordinator Grace McAfee reports, that on May 9th (2024), the Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness hosted a free Mental Wellness Panel at the Griswold Community Center. The event included a mental wellness resource fair and a panel presentation of experts from our community. The free meal for the panel event was sponsored generously by the Healthy Cass County Coalition with funding from the Healthiest State Initiative Grant and Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company.
Resources and community groups that were present at the resource fair were NAMI, Senior Life Solutions, Catholic Charities, Veteran’s Support, Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services, Cass County Public Health, Cass County ISU Extension, Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disabilities Services, and Thriving Families Alliance. This aspect of the event was a great way for community members to see how many mental wellness resources they have in their community.
McAfee says panelists for the event included Erika Kirchhoff from Thriving Families Alliance who spoke on resilience. She gave tips and tools on how to become mentally resilient through life’s challenges. Mary-Beth Roskens from Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disabilities Services explained how therapy sessions work and how to find therapy services. Debrenee Grajeda a mental health therapist from Catholic Charities gave different tools to take care of your mental health daily. Melanie Fell and Carolyn Bruck explained how the Atlantic School District provided therapy services in the schools without students missing a lot of class time.
At the end of the panel presentation, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions. The panelists were able to share their expertise on dealing with mental health at the workplace, how to respond when a youth is struggling with their mental health, and how to get students involved in the therapy program at the Atlantic School District. 
Grace McAfee says “This was a great event for all members of the community to gain tools to improve their mental health and to see the resources available in Cass County. The Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness is grateful to all those who helped make this event a success. We look forward to bringing more events like this to Cass County to help reduce the stigma of Mental Health”
The Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness is a part of the Healthy Cass County Coalition. You are invited to connect with either group by contacting Grace McAfee, Cass County Community Wellness Coordinator, at 712-250-8170 or mcage@casshealth.org. You can also follow the coalition on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HealthyCassCounty/ for local wellness events and tips during Mental Health Awareness Month and all year round!
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