NWS: Survey Results Say EF-2 Tornado to Blame for Much of Damage Sustained at Lake Panorama
Damage survey results have come in from the National Weather Service in Des Moines regarding Sunday night’s tornado event in Guthrie County.
According to NWS, “a line of thunderstorms produced at least one tornado that tracked south of Guthrie Center and across Lake Panorama” between 9:43 and 10:08 Sunday night.
The tornado has been classified as an EF-2.
The tornado’s estimated peak wind hit 115 miles per hour, while its path length has been estimated at 16.7 miles. Its path width is estimated at 100 yards.
NWS has listed the tornado’s starting point as being 4.5 miles south of Guthrie Center. The tornado then continued tracking northeast before it eventually dissipated northeast of Yale.
All statements from the National Weather Service are subject to change pending final review of events and publication in NWS storm data.
Raccoon Valley Radio will continue to bring you more information about Sunday’s Guthrie County tornado as it becomes official.
NWS: Two More Tornadoes Confirmed Sunday Night–One Over Lake Panorama, the Other Near Dallas Center
Turns out it wasn’t just one tornado that hit Lake Panorama Sunday night, it was two.
The National Weather Service has released further damage survey test results, and a second tornado–this one an EF-1–hit the lake for a period of one minute, from 9:57 to 9:58pm on Sunday night.
According to NWS, the second tornado’s peak wind speed hit 100 miles per hour, while its path length was 0.87 miles. NWS lists the tornado’s path width as being 120 yards.
As with the first tornado survey results released yesterday, NWS reports zero injuries and zero fatalities in the second tornado.
NWS has also released survey results for a third tornado seen near Guthrie County on Sunday night. This tornado, also an EF-1, started 3.5 miles northwest of Dallas Center and dissipated 3.8 miles northwest of Granger. This tornado’s peak wind speed hit 86 miles per hour and traveled a length of 5.9 miles.
This Dallas County tornado first touched the ground at 10:21pm Sunday and lasted until 10:27.
For more detailed information about all of Sunday’s tornadoes, CLICK HERE.
70 Residential Properties Impacted by Sunday’s Torndaoes
Emergency Management damage assessment teams have completed their survey of Guthrie County following the two tornadoes that struck the county on Sunday night.
Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Kempf says approximately 70 residential properties sustained damage Sunday, and he explains the range of damage severity.
“(We had) all the way from the condos at Lake Panorama that were completely destroyed to just over 20 structures that had major damage. We had right around 15 structures that had what would be considered minor damage, and then we had just around 35, 36 structures that were what FEMA considers ‘affected’.”
In all the years he’s been in Guthrie County, Kempf says he hasn’t experienced anything that has created as much property damage as Sunday’s tornadoes.
“The last tornado that we had in Guthrie County–confirmed tornado–with damages was back in the 90s up in the Bayard area. Then of course in 2007 we had our blizzard, but as far as something that’s been as devastating to property, there’s been nothing (like this) since I’ve been around.”
Kempf says he is grateful for the volunteer help both Lake Panorama and the unincorporated areas of the county have received the last couple of days, as hundreds of people have helped with the extensive clean up efforts.
In Kempf’s words, he says the cleanup of the county “right now looks like a mountain, but in a few weeks, we will be able to stand on top.”
Guthrie County Supervisors Discuss Lake Panorama Rural Improvement Zone (RIZ)
The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday for the first of their two sessions this week.
The main item discussed in the meeting pertained to a possible change in the Supervisors’ agreement with the Lake Panorama Rural Improvement Zone (RIZ).
Lake Panorama Association General Manager John Rutledge and RIZ Board President Doug Hemphill spoke to the Supervisors during the meeting and presented a drafted amendment to the two sides’ current agreement. If signed by the Supervisors, this amendment would allow both the Supervisors and RIZ to lobby to the state legislature on behalf of or against the general RIZ structure.
While the legislature has debated the legitimacy of counties providing RIZ Boards incremental tax incentives that past two sessions and talks haven’t gone anywhere, the Senate is expected to bring up the issue again next year.
During yesterday’s meeting, Rutledge voiced his desire to eventually reach a state-wide RIZ agreement that everybody is happy with, but he feels that in order for that to happen, Lake Panorama RIZ and the Guthrie County Supervisors need to both be at the lobbying table.
The current provision in the two sides’ agreement does not allow for any lobbying from either entity.
With the Lake Panorama RIZ being the longest-standing and likely the largest RIZ Board in the state, Supervisor Everett Grasty said during the meeting “it would be crazy” for both sides not to be part of the lobbying discussion with either the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) or RIZ Boards from around the state.
Guthrie County attorneys will be looking at the drafted amendment in the days ahead, and the Supervisors will likely vote on it sometime next week.
Rutledge hopes to be able to meet with other state RIZ Boards to begin their lobbying efforts by around Memorial Day.
Good Egg Days Theme: “Remembering the Good Times”
The Stuart Chamber of Commerce’s Good Egg Days committee has selected the official theme for this year’s town celebration, and it’s a bit different from any of the ones we discussed recently with event coordinator Shannon Behnken.
After convening earlier this week, the committee has elected to go with “Remembering the Good Times” as the Good Egg Days theme. Behnken explains the committee’s reasoning.
“Some people were kind of toying around with the word ‘Restore’, and other people mentioned the fact that we can never really go back to the ‘good old days’–some people have some good memories (of that), some people had some not so good memories. We just figured overall, ‘Remembering the Good Times’ is what everybody thinks about when they think about the past and memories and things like that.”
Now that an official theme is selected, Behnken says she’ll get back to finalizing the schedule of events for Good Egg Days. She also has one other thing on her mind.
“It has rained I think every year for the last probably three to four years on our weekend, and so we’re really, really hoping there is no rain!”
To see the Good Egg Days schedule of events that Benken has put together so far, CLICK HERE.