A tornado directly hit the Vermeer Mile and touched down numerous times from near Altoona and Bondurant all the way to northwest of Leighton Thursday afternoon.
Extensive damage was reported at Vermeer Plant 5 and 6, as well as their Waste Management Facility. Lesser impacts were seen at Plants 4 and 7, and the rest of Vermeer’s campus remained relatively untouched, including Corporate Headquarters, the Global Pavillion, Lely, and the Yellow Iron Academy. There were 400 additional customers on-site for an appreciation celebration of Vermeer’s 70th anniversary, but only seven with injuries were reported at Pella Regional Health Center as of Thursday evening.
Numerous farm buildings, power poles, and trees were destroyed by the tornado from near Highway T-14, along 228th Place, on 240th, all the way through Vermeer and just over Old Highway 102. The National Weather Service will conduct a survey of the impacted areas today to determine the strength of the confirmed tornadoes in central Iowa.
Vermeer and Lely are closed today to allow time to assess damage and begin clean up. According to the Pella Police Department, the Vermeer Mile will remain closed by law enforcement in between the intersections of Vermeer Road and 240th Avenue, as well as Vermeer Road and 250 th Avenue. Authorities are unsure how long this section of Vermeer Road will be closed in between these two intersections.
The KNIA/KRLS Severe Weather Action Team was on the air from 3:37 to 4:45 p.m., providing live coverage of multiple tornado warnings impacting northern Marion County and southern Jasper. Nearly the entire staff contributed to coverage with reports from Pella and Monroe, and numerous listeners called in reports from Highway 163 and parts of Marion and Jasper Counties. WeatherEye meteorologists also provided numerous live updates about the location of rotation and the danger of the storm.
Stay tuned for updates.
Among those responding:
Pella Fire, Pella Ambulance, Pella Police, Marion County Emergency Management, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Mahaska County Emergency Management, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa DOT, Pella Electric, Pella Public Works, Knoxville Fire and Rescue, Knoxville Township Rural Fire, Pleasantville Rescue, Melcher-Dallas Fire and Rescue, Monroe Fire and Rescue, Reasnor Fire, Sully Fire and Rescue, New Sharon Fire, and Grinnell Fire, among other volunteers and possibly other agencies.