"Terror in the Rear View Mirror " Eyewitness Account of the Tornado in Parkersburg, Iowa

My nephew, Matt, is a pretty calm and cool guy. He's one of those guys other guys want to be like. Extremely active and successful in sports and not afraid of pain Matt shines in whatever he does. He puts his heart into it. Even though he has known success in football, basketball and baseball he just may love fishing the most.

First Warning

That is exactly where he was the day the tornado hit Parkersburg Iowa, he was fishing, in Parkersburg. It was late afternoon and he was fishing with some of his friends, the skies were cloudy and it started to rain but a little bit of rain never kept Matt from fishing. His first warning came from his dad, he called Matt on his cell phone and said there was lightning and heavy rain and a tornado warning and that he should pack it up and head south because it was coming from the west heading due east. This was the third tornado his dad, Mike, had been in and he just had this gnawing feeling in his gut that it was urgent that Matt leave and head away from the possible tornado.

Second Warning

Matt's second warning was when the hail hit, he said at first he thought it was large raindrops but then he saw it was hail, and that, coupled with his dad's call, hastened his response and he packed up as fast as he could, threw everything in his truck and started to head out. Three of his friends were there as well and one of them ended up getting in the truck with Matt. He said, "We all saw a cop go by and then heard the sirens go off but by this time all we had was about a two-minute warning before the tornado hit the ground". Matt's grandma Lois, my mom, who was at my sisters in New Hartford at the time, called me just after it passed through New Hartford and said, "babe, a tornado just passed through here and it looks to be heading your way, please be careful".

Did you see the tornado?

I asked Matt if he saw the tornado in his rear view mirror and he said "Yes!" I asked him how far away he estimated he was from the tornado and he said about 150 to 200 feet, "I could feel the tornado pulling and trying to lift my truck up almost bouncing it on its back tires!" Matt's truck weighs about 6,000 pounds. "I looked in the rear view mirror and things were blowing up, you could see parts flying in the air and houses just gone!" I told Matt, "it's a good thing you knew how to drive like heck to stay ahead of the tornado", maybe all that intense sports training helped him keep his head about him, his passenger was sure thankful they made it safely. After all, "things are closer than they appear in the rear view mirror"! At one point somebody had asked if the people in the "red truck" made it out alive because they could see how close they actually were.

Would you say this has altered your life at all?

"I guess I would say I cherish the things I have even more now." I told him that we are grateful that their whole family is alive. Matt's brother, David, was not home when the tornado hit and neither was his mom Penny, my sister, she was at work. She said it was sunny on her way home but she could see a cloud in the distance with the look they have when rain is coming down through a cloud, she thought it was a bit strange that there was only one large black cloud but when she entered the town of New Hartford, where they live, she saw the effects left by the tornado and knew it was more than just a cloud. Their neighbor's shed was upside down in their ditch and they had a lot of debris in their yard including insulation and what looked to be siding, and there was even a checkbook in their bushes. Their house, garage, windows and deck were covered in mud, but the most severe devastation missed them by only six blocks. Penny said she talked to some people who told her, "it only took about 30 seconds for the tornado to pass through Parkersburg before heading to New Hartford" and that "the weather has not cooperated for all the volunteers who are out trying to gather up everyone's precious belongings".

Matt, does it bother you to talk about it?

"Every time I talk about it I get goose bumps all over again", Matt said. Matt and David have spent nearly every day since the tornado, helping those who have needed it the most. Recently, Matt was quoted in the Des Moines Register that he was up at 4:30 that morning clearing debris and trees that had fallen in the park that we all frequented. Most days they are all up at 4 or 4:30 and not home till very late, barely stopping to take the time to eat, but it's a small sacrifice to them, one they are compelled to accept to help those who need it most. Matt said he found a note in one of the fields written in pencil that read, "If there is such a thing as heaven, why are we afraid to die?"

I then spoke with Matt's brother, David. My nephew David said they are actually expecting another storm with about the same intensity to possibly rip through the same area of town the end of this week (June 5-7). He said a similar repeat happened in Charles City in the 70's, where two tornadoes ripped through nearly the same area just 8 days apart from each other.

Interview with my nephew David.

My nephew David is all heart as well. He's just a "git r done" kind of guy, everyone loves him. He would give you the shirt off of his back and not think anything of it, he's just that way.

Where were you when the tornado hit?

I asked him where he was when the tornado hit and he said, "About 8 miles north of New Hartford, all you could hear was a freight train, like you had a train coming through your house. It's one of the scariest sounds I have ever heard." He said the wind was blowing and then just stopped as the tornado was sucking up everything towards it. "I thought everyone in New Hartford was dead, it looked like it went right through the center of town."

He headed back to New Hartford through the "Shell Rock short cut" two miles outside of town. They saw phone polls down and phone lines lying all over. They came upon a house that collapsed and as they headed toward the house to see if the people were OK he said they just kept "praying to God that they got out OK". They did, they were at a neighbors house in the basement not more than 500 yards away.

David continued to tell me that, "All you could see was devastation, no leaves, just trunks, and some of the trees were completely gone. And there was LP Gas spewing all over!" He and his friend had to go 6 miles out of the way just to get to his family in New Hartford. He has spent the last 8 days helping friends in Parkersburg. He saw one house that had been lifted off the foundation and moved 4 feet before it was set back down and "not one window was broken". He and Matt have been using their vehicles and gas to help haul equipment, furniture and appliances to shelters.

David, I asked Matt how and if this altered his life, has it altered yours too?

"Yes, what it has shown me is how much of a commitment I have to my friends, they are like my family." "We prayed all the way to our friend's house, please let them be OK." "It has shown me how much love you have to help people, I did not care about the danger, I wanted to go and risk my life to check to see if my friends were OK'. One man whole heartedly said to David and his friend, "I love you both, you guys put your life in jeopardy to help me and my family!" David said FEMA said they want a list of volunteers' hours and fuel costs so they can reimburse them.

Newness on the Horizon

The call for donations for those in need who have lost their homes has been great and the answers to that call even greater, from what I'm hearing there are so many clothes donated that they actually have to load them into semis. My mom said, "Iowans are the most giving people I know." Mike, Penny, David and Matt live in New HARTford where everyone in their community is willing to lend a helping hand, and why wouldn't they? They live in NEW HARTford. (Heart).

Rumor has it that debris was scattered all the way into Wisconsin. But there are those who are planning on rebuilding in the same location, starting over again. Working together as a community, they will find the silver lining in the midst of this destructive cloud. Our heart goes out to you all, we are praying for you.