THURMAN, Iowa (AP) — One resident says it looks “like World War Three” in Thurman following a tornado that damaged at least 75 percent of homes in the small town. Thurman Mayor Rod Umphreys says city officials sounded the tornado sirens seven minutes before the twister packing 135 mile-per-hour winds swept through town Saturday night. He says no one was killed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has issued an emergency proclamation for two southwest Iowa counties in the wake of Saturday’s severe storms. The declaration allows state resources to be used to help communities in Fremont and Union counties recover. State officials say a hospital suffered roof damage and had its windows blown out in the Union County town of Creston. Governor Branstad reviewed the damage yesterday afternoon.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reducing the amount of water released into the Missouri River in light of the heavy rains that fell this weekend in Nebraska and Iowa. The corps says that releases from the Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota were being lowered yesterday to prevent flooding along the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

HICKMAN, Iowa (AP) — One man has died after a car struck a utility pole in Hickman. Des Moines police, responding to a report of downed power lines, found the crash about 2:20 a.m. yesterday. Police say one man was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were taken to hospitals.

CRESTON, Iowa (AP) — The Creston police chief says tornado sirens didn’t sound before a strong storm swept into town, damaging a hospital and community college. Paul Ver Meer says there was no warning before an apparent tornado hit Saturday evening, and the first he knew that the city was at risk came from a call from Greater Regional Medical Center. The hospital sustained roof damage and had its windows blown out by storm. Southwest Community College also suffered damage but the extent wasn’t known.  The school’s website says classes won’t be held there Monday or Tuesday. Ver Meer says Creston was “very lucky” that no one was injured.

DEXTER, Iowa (AP) — A Menlo man has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and several other charges in the death of a man found on a gravel road in Dexter.

Mike Beeler, of Menlo (Booking photo courtesy Guthrie Co. Sheriff's Dept.)

 The Iowa Department of Public Safety says 21-year-old Mike Beeler was intoxicated when he drove a tractor that ran down 23-year-old Justin Westfall, of Menlo, during a house party in Dexter. Westfall’s body was found about 4:45 a.m. Saturday. Authorities say Beeler is being held Sunday in the Guthrie County jail on $25,000 bond. In addition to vehicular homicide, Beeler is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident, criminal mischief and operating while intoxicated.

THURMAN, Iowa (AP) — One resident says it looks “like World War III” in Thurman following a tornado that damaged at least 75 percent of the homes in the small town. But people are giving thanks because no one died. The only injuries reported are cuts and bruises. Thurman Mayor Rod Umphreys says city officials sounded the tornado sirens six or seven minutes before the twister with 135 mile-per-hour winds swept into town Saturday evening. Residents also received warnings through Code RED, an emergency system used by Fremont County that sends alerts to subscriber cellphones. Umphreys says the combined warnings likely saved lives, as the tornado was shrouded in rain. Larry Hill, who barricaded himself in a closet as the roof was torn from his home, says he’d been paying close attention to weather warnings for days and was as ready as he could be for the storm.

The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Thurman Saturday night was an EF-2 on the Fujita Scale of winds and destruction. The twister touched down about 2-miles north of Percival and tracked for 10-miles before dissipating about a mile south of Tabor.Officials say the tornado was one-half mile wide.