Midwest Gets Ravaged by Multiple Tornadoes, Killing Several People in Devastation

Multiple tornadoes have been recorded across the Midwest, with the deadliest ones touching down in Iowa, killing multiple people. Meanwhile, residents in both the Midwest and the Great Plains are already bracing for even more dangerous weather coming up.

At least 26 tornadoes tore through three states across the Midwest as severe weather has been recorded from New York to Texas. The most devastated state, Iowa, saw half of the town of Greenfield be completely devastated by tornadoes.

The National Weather Service reported that Iowa was the hardest hit because out of the 26 recorded tornadoes that hit the Midwest, 21 were in the state. These tornadoes were spawned by severe weather and they struck between 5:44 PM and 11:00 PM CT.

"It's just gut-wrenching. It's horrific. It's hard to describe until you can actually see it, the devastation," said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds in a news conference on Wednesday morning. She was in Greenfield, located southwest of Des Moines, to assess the damage.

She added that search and rescue operations are still ongoing and the number of deaths and injuries are still being tallied, adding, "This is a search-and-rescue mission and it will continue to be throughout the day."

For now, as these search and rescue operations continued, a majority of the town of Greenfield has already been flattened, with several other parts of Iowa being devastated by the tornadoes. Even the Adair County Memorial Hospital, which serves Greenfield, was damaged and it was enough for State Rep. Ray Sorensen to admit, "It's a completely different town now."

Communities Devastated by Midwest Tornadoes Struggle as More Tornadoes Already Recorded This Year

On Wednesday, residents joined authorities in sifting through debris and finding missing people or salvaging what they could use as many have been left homeless, with local Greenfield resident Kimberly Ergish telling the Associated Press, "Most of it we can't save, but we're going to get what we can."

She admitted that her house was completely destroyed in mere seconds, telling the AP, "If it weren't for all the bumps and bruises and the achy bones, I would think that it didn't happen."

Surveys from the National Weather Service have indicated that the tornado that hit Greenfield was at least an EF-3. However, an additional damage assessment could land it an even more powerful ranking. This comes as the US has been hit by even more tornadoes this year, 27% more than average with 859 confirmed tornadoes this year alone, and more are expected to come.

Storm Chaser Dead, Wind Turbines Damaged Amid Midwest Tornadoes

Storm chasers often risk their lives to record severe weather, and one of them has just been killed by the severe Iowa tornadoes that lifted her car and threw it off the road, killing her.

Adams County emergency responders soon arrived at the wreck and found the woman, whose name was not released. However, neighbors told the Des Moines Register that she was in fact, a storm chaser and that first responders found her body in a field.

Meanwhile, over in Adair County, several wind turbines belonging to MidAmerican Energy "took a direct hit by a large tornado" and were damaged or destroyed, according to a company spokesperson.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Drone video shows destruction, path of Greenfield, Iowa tornado - KCCI