hawkfromnorwalk/Twitter(DES MOINES, Iowa) — Tornadoes have touched down in central Iowa, displacing families and causing destruction across multiple counties.
At least 10 people were injured and sent to the hospital. They were later released after suffering minor injuries, police said.
Injuries were reported at the Vermeer Corporation facilities in Pella, according to Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The city of Marshalltown declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon after reports of tornadoes in the area, city officials told ABC News.
UnityPoint hospital said a tornado damaged a portion of their facility in Marshalltown. Forty patients, who were being treated inside when the tornadoes touched down, were moved to other hospitals in the area, UnityPoint Health spokeswoman Amy Varcoe told ABC News.
Ten patients who suffered injuries as a result of the tornadoes were treated by hospital staff, but the extent of those injuries remains unclear, officials said.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning this afternoon for eastern Marshall County and southwestern Tama County.
At 4:37 p.m. local time, a “large and destructive” tornado was observed over Marshalltown, about 50 miles northeast of Des Moines, moving at an estimated 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
A large tornado was also reported on the ground in Bondurant in Polk County. Emergency services are on scene. Six homes are said to have extensive damage.
Several homes suffered damage, including roofs blown off and numerous gas leaks, Lt. Rick Blaylock of the Polk County Sheriff’s Department told ABC News.
About 15,000 customers were without power early Friday morning, an Alliant Energy spokesperson told ABC News.
About 14,000 customers are without power in Iowa as a result of the weather, according to outage maps for Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy.
There may also be communication issues because a large wireless company in the area, Racom, has been hit, according to Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds posted on Twitter that she’s praying for all those impacted by the tornadoes.
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