Iowa Resident Dies Following Catastrophic Tornado as State Experiences Deadly Weather Outbreak

An individual lost their life over the weekend due to injuries sustained during last Friday’s severe weather events in Iowa, according to an announcement made by the state’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department. The man had become trapped inside his basement after a catastrophic wedge tornado ravaged Minden, population less than 600 residents. His relative informed local media outlets of this incident. First responders were able to free him from the confined space late Friday night; however, he later succumbed to injuries on Saturday evening. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds declared a disaster emergency for Minden following the storm’s aftermath where nearly 180 households encountered varying levels of damages – over forty percent incurring complete destruction. FOX Weather’s Brandy Campbell visited the town and spoke with residents Sherri Guerrero and Randy Davis, who recounted their experiences during the tornado outbreak. The governor also revealed that Mayor Ken Zimmerman was among those fortunate enough to survive the natural disaster’s fury. One man whose house had been blown off its foundation by the powerful storm described himself as “lucky” because he wasn’t inside at the time of the calamity, and praised his friends for their assistance in rebuilding efforts despite having suffered substantial damages that left only remnants behind – a testament to the brickwork surrounding his basement. The influx of volunteers was so overwhelming on Saturday that authorities had no choice but to turn some away. The Minden town official shared this sentiment, admitting that it has not encountered such an intense tornado in almost fifty years. Tornadoes also wreaked havoc across Oklahoma over the weekend with two fatalities reported in Holdenville – including a baby – and another fatality each recorded in Marietta and Sulphur as per Governor Kevin Stitt’s statements during a press conference, making five deaths linked to tornados this April. Damage estimates for Mix Mercantile business located in Sulphur are still being calculated by officials at the time of writing. The National Weather Service issued over eighty Tornado Warnings between Friday and Saturday alone; an Omaha office record was broken with forty-two warnings on Friday, surpassing May 12th’s previous mark (which recorded thirty-three alerts). Furthermore, the NWS Norman division exceeded its own prior high of forty-seven Tornado Warnings from May 3rd, nineteen ninety-nine.