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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 7 March 2022
Officials: 7 dead after tornadoes tore through central Iowa

By SCOTT MCFETRIDGE and treme weather events and
JOSH FUNK warmer temperatures are
Associated Press more likely to occur with
WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) — Sev- human-caused climate
en people were killed, in- change.
cluding two children, when However, scientifically at-
several tornadoes swept tributing a storm system to
through central Iowa, de- global warming requires
stroying homes and knock- specific analysis and com-
ing down trees and power puter simulations that take
lines in the state’s deadli- time, haven’t been done
est storm in more than a and sometimes show no
decade, authorities said. clear connection.
Emergency management Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is-
officials in Madison County sued a disaster proclama-
said four were injured and tion for Madison County,
six people were killed Sat- which allows state resourc-
urday when one tornado es to be used to assist with
touched down in the area response and recovery
southwest of Des Moines efforts. Madison County
near the town of Winterset Emergency Management
around 4:30 p.m. Among Director Diogenes Ayala
those killed were two chil- said 25 to 30 homes were
dren under the age of five badly damaged.
and four adults. A utility worker tends to a downed stoplight on Highway 69 in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, “This is the worst anyone has
In Lucas County, about 54 March 5, 2022, after a strong storm caused damage in areas of central Iowa. seen in a very long time,”
miles (87 kilometers) south- Associated Press Ayala said.
east of Des Moines, officials walk, areas just east of Des ple in the northern Iowa city even though they are more Homeowners and volun-
confirmed one death and Moines and other areas of of Parkersburg. Another common in April and May. teers were picking up wood
multiple reported injuries eastern Iowa. The storms tornado a month later killed Saturday’s storms were not debris and beginning to
when a separate tornado were fueled by warm, moist four boys at the Little Sioux nearly as unusual as the clear it away Sunday in the
struck less than an hour air from the Gulf of Mexico. Boy Scout ranch in western mid-December tornado rolling hills south of Winter-
later. Officials reported a num- Iowa. outbreak that Iowa saw last set as chainsaws whirred
The state Department of ber of homes were dam- The National Weather Ser- year, he said. away in the background.
Natural Resources said aged, roads were blocked vice in Des Moines tweeted “The storms that produce Amid the remnants of de-
that person who died was by downed lines and tree early Sunday that there these tornadoes — these stroyed houses blown off
in an RV at a campground branches were shredded were at least three thun- supercell storms — they their foundations, a white
at Red Haw State Park in by the strong winds. At one derstorms producing torna- don’t care what the calen- car sat on its roof and de-
Chariton, Iowa. point, power outages af- does, but it’s “unknown at dar says,” Gensini said. “It bris hung from the trees. The
T h u n d e r s t o r m s t h a t fected about 10,000 in the this time how many torna- doesn’t have to say June. foundation was all that was
spawned tornadoes moved Des Moines area. does occurred.” It doesn’t have to say May. left of several homes. The
through much of Iowa from The storms are the deadli- Northern Illinois University They form whenever the in- tornado carved a narrow
the afternoon until Satur- est to occur in Iowa since meteorology professor Vic- gredients are present. And path of destruction along a
day night with storms also May 2008 when one tor- tor Gensini said there have they were certainly present ridge while several hundred
causing damage in the nado destroyed nearly 300 been plenty of examples yesterday.” feet away other homes sit
Des Moines suburb of Nor- homes and killed nine peo- of deadly storms in March Scientists have said that ex- undamaged.q

Firefighters battle 2 massive wildfires in

Florida Panhandle

1,400-acre (567-hectare) Bay County!” Bay County homes, and it was 35% con-
Adkins Avenue fire threat- emergency officials tweet- tained Sunday morning.
ened homes and forced ed early Sunday. The much-larger Bertha
the evacuation of residents “It is NOT safe to return Swamp Fire started in neigh-
of at least 750 homes in Bay home at this time. Please boring Gulf County on Fri-
County, Florida over the be patient as first respond- day but spread to Bay and
weekend. ers battle these dangerous Calhoun counties on Satur-
The Adkins Avenue fire fires,” Bay County officials day, forcing the evacua-
destroyed two structures posted online. tion of another 150 homes.
and damaged another 12 “We understand and rec- It was 10% contained as of
Hector Rivera and Wandi Blanco put water on hotspots behind homes late Friday. Local ognize that everyone is Sunday morning.
their home in Panama City, Fla., Saturday, March 5, 2022, emergency official said anxious to go back home, Fire officials said Florida
following a wildfire that started Friday. no homes were destroyed and that it has been a Forest Service helicopters
Associated Press and there were no injuries huge inconvenience,” said had dropped more than
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — from destruction caused on Saturday, the second Valerie Sale, a Bay County 103,000 gallons (about
Firefighters and emergency by a Category 5 hurricane day of battling the Adkins spokeswoman. 468,000 liters) of water on
workers battled two mas- more than three years ago. Avenue fire. The Adkins Avenue fire has the Adkins Avenue fire
sive wildfires Sunday in an The 8,000-acre (about “No homes damaged. been burning in Bay Coun- since Friday, and 25 bull-
area of the Florida Panhan- 3,237 hectare) Bertha No injuries to residents or ty since Friday, forcing the dozers had been deployed
dle that was still recovering Swamp Road fire and the responders. Big win for evacuation of at least 600 to plow fire lines. q