(Des Moines, Iowa) –  The National Weather Service said this (Wednesday) morning, they have three teams currently on the road, to survey Tuesday’s storm damage. The Weather Service says if you encounter a team (or any first responders or recovery and cleanup efforts), please give them space and let the teams do their work.

Damage assessments, tornado ratings and paths take time. The NWS says teams will provide initial in the field assessments, and in some cases additional feedback is sought by damage and structural experts. Then additional information is gathered and digested (photos, videos, satellite data) to help ensure accurate and reliable results.

Officials will post additional information as they are able to so.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol says there are multiple deaths and at least a dozen injuries in Greenfield, after Tuesday’s direct hit from a powerful tornado. There’s widespread destruction in the Adair County town, with homes leveled, cars tossed and trees stripped bare. Metro Des Moines National Weather Service Meteorologist Brad Small said today (Wednesday), it’s still unclear just how many tornadoes hit the state Tuesday afternoon.

Those weather service teams will focus on three primary areas of the state where the tornadoes did their worst.

That tornado damaged Johnston High School, which is closed at least for today. Back in southwest Iowa, it appears Greenfield was hit by a large tornado, but Small says they don’t know yet how big it may have been.

More storms are in the immediate forecast, but Small says they don’t appear to be threatening.

This latest round of severe weather follows several bouts with tornadoes during April, which saw 43 tornadoes during the month, the fourth-highest number ever recorded in a single month in Iowa.

The following photo’s of Tuesday’s tornado affecting the City of Greenfield (IA), are made available to KJAN courtesy of Melissa Ehrman Johnson.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report a man from Creston who was being held in the Union County Jail, was charged Tuesday on a Department of Corrections (DOC) warrant for Violation of Parole. 39-year-old Charlie Walter Brown remains held without bond in the  Union County Jail.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports emergency responders were dispatched at around 3:30-p.m., Tuesday, to a single-vehicle accident, where a vehicle had been blown-off Highway 148 and Joshua Tree Avenue. At the scene, Deputies located the body of a deceased female from the accident. The victim’s name was being withheld by authorities, out of respect to the family.

Adams County would like to thank all of the nearby counties who responded to the incident.

(Iowa News Service) – The U.S. House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to take up the first version of the new Farm Bill tomorrow (Thursday) morning.  Outdoor enthusiasts in Iowa are pushing for the measure to address key hunting and fishing policies. The Farm Bill is the biggest, most high-profile piece of legislation for farmers and ranchers and it has a huge effect on hunters and anglers in Iowa. Kate Hansen, agriculture program director for the Isaak Walton League of America, said conservation policies set out in the Farm Bill — support for approaches like cover crops, for example — have a domino effect on the state’s ecosystems.

“At face value, cover crops have benefits like they improve our water quality and our soil health,” Hansen pointed out. “We think about how could water quality improvements benefit our fish habitats? There are also benefits of them sitting right there in the field for wildlife.” Hansen noted the healthy fields benefit Iowa hunters. She added it is important for the Farm Bill to consider private land access and conservation measures to improve habitats for fish and wildlife. The House Agriculture Committee is set to consider the bill tomorrow.

The Farm Bill is the biggest investment the U.S. makes in private lands conservation. Aaron Field, director of private lands conservation for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said one especially important part of the bill focuses on increasing voluntary conservation projects on private property. He emphasized it benefits hunters and anglers and called the public-private partnerships crucial to shaping the Farm Bill. “It’s critically important that hunter and angler groups step up and provide feedback as Congress is making decisions about how those programs operate and how they’re funded,” Field urged.

Summer shoreline view of Saylorville Lake near Polk City Iowa.

Field added this year’s Farm Bill is the best opportunity hunter and angler programs have had for increased funding in recent history. He noted the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has published an online guide about how to participate in shaping the measure.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency report a Tornado Resource and Relief Open House will take place Tuesday, May 28th, at the Veterans Memorial Building (1104 Morningview Dr.), in Harlan. The event will be held from 5-until 8-p.m. Shelby County EMA will host government disaster officials, local aid providers and other, that include:

• FEMA
• West Central Community Action
• Local insurance adjusters
• Mental health providers
• Shelby County State Bank.

The Shelby County Cattleman’s Association will provide food for the event. The Shelby County EMA will also be recognizing groups that assisted with the cleanup process.

Anyone who has questions regarding tornado relief efforts is welcome to attend.