Storms spark tornado reports in 4 states; Iowa school, homes damaged

Published 11:20 am Tuesday, March 7, 2017

SEYMOUR, Iowa — An Iowa school is closed for the rest of the week after it was badly damaged in Monday night storms that sparked tornadoes in four Midwestern states.

The National Weather Service says it received reports of more than 30 tornadoes in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. At least a dozen people were injured in the Missouri city of Oak Grove.

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In rural southern Iowa, strong winds knocked the roof off gymnasiums at the Seymour Community School.

“It think we had a direct hit by some kind of very, very strong winds,” said School Superintendent Brad Breon.

According to Breon, the school also lost its football lights and press box, as well as the weight room. The elementary and high school both suffered roof damage, about 30 percent of the windows have been blown out. The school’s bus barn was destroyed and all of their buses suffered some damage.

In Missouri, nearly 500 homes sustained some type of damage, according to local officials. Twelve people were treated for injuries, but none were life-threatening.

Oak Grove Mayor Jeremy Martin praised the work of emergency crews and said it was remarkable there were no deaths.

“It looks like the injuries are minimal so, based on some of the damage I’ve seen, it’s rather amazing,” Martin said in a Tuesday morning press conference.

In southern Iowa near Seymour, power lines and poles were reported down or snapped. Reports of campers and semi-trailers overturned were reported to the National Weather Service. Wells Manufacturing in Centerville, Iowa, also sustained heavy damage and the plant was closed Tuesday during first shift.

Reports of damaged homes and buildings were still coming in Tuesday morning, but there were no reports of injuries caused from the storm.

The National Weather Service was expected to survey the damage Tuesday to determine whether it was caused by a tornado.

The Daily Iowegian in Centerville, Iowa, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.