Concerned about Iowa City after storm.

[Hardrada]

Does anyone have any news on this?

[Pirate Smile]

1. Downtown got hit pretty bad. Here is a thread on Kos about it.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/4/13/234844/751

Iowa City Press Citizen article:

Storm wreaks havoc in downtown Iowa City

A wave of storms blew through eastern Iowa tonight, with the worst of the storm striking the heart of Iowa City.

While most areas north of downtown seemed to be spared the worst of the wind, rain and hail, downtown and south-central Iowa City look as if a riot swept through town.

Authorities are now evacuating onlookers out of the downtown pedestrian mall because of gas leaks in the area of the Martini's and Union bars.

Riverside Drive and Governor Street appear to have seen the worst damage. Power lines are strewn across roadways and university students are roaming the streets surveying the damage.

On Riverside Drive, the historic Dairy Queen was completely demolished.

“It’s lost,” said Kurt Friese, whose wife’s family had run the store for 54 years. “Only the cinder blocks remain.”


More at link:

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060413/NEWS01/60413009/1079

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EDIT: COPYRIGHT..PLEASE POST ONLY 4 OR 5
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[Hardrada]

2. Thanks. The ped mall is where we had the peace march 3/20.

Must be rather widespread damage since Governor Street is some distance from downtown IC. I am worried about some of the historic structures but am glad no one was killed. Someone was killed near Muscatine. This was an immense storm.

[CornField]

3. Last night was the first time since moving to Iowa we went to the basement

We were on the porch, watching the storms blow in when I felt it before I saw it. The whole thing reminded me of spring in Oklahoma.

[pstans]

4. Pictures over at Iowa Underground

There are a lot of Iowa City folk at Iowa Underground, luckily, since they are underground they are OK. A few of them ventured above ground after the storm and took some pictures.

http://iowaunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5567&sid=43700b7c25b59400fd06f4e021782fad

[IA_Seth]

5. Side note...

I noticed a picture while viewing that thread that appears to be Blouin on Sesame Street?!

Is it just too early in the morning or did that really happen?

[Debi]

8. No, dear, that was Oscar the Grouch...

Is it okay to use humor on this thead? :shrug:

[IA_Seth]

Ha!

I love trash...anything dirty or dumpy or dingy...anything ragged or something or something....

Ok, so my memory of Sesame Street songs is s little lacking.

Really though, did you see that picture I was referring to? It looks like a young Blouin on Sesame Street...I wonder if I liked him then?

[Debi]

12. Chet needs to quit picking on Mr. Blouin for being out of the classroom

for thirty years. He was on Sesame Street when Mr. Hooper was still alive!!!



The photo must be older, Mr. Blouin has about 50-60 lbs less on him :blush:


Oh, and here's the link to Oscar's Garbage Song:

http://members.tripod.com/Tiny_Dancer/grouch.html

[IA_Seth]

11. Ha!

I love trash...anything dirty or dumpy or dingy...anything ragged or something or something....

Ok, so my memory of Sesame Street songs is s little lacking.

Really though, did you see that picture I was referring to? It looks like a young Blouin on Sesame Street...I wonder if I liked him then?

[SnowGoose]

10. A kick for those pics.

You should really take a look if you've ever lived there - some of the pictures are pretty far out (St. Pat's).

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[Debi]

7. Please check in and let us know if all is well! n/t

[SnowGoose]

9. God, I hope the Deadwood made it through!

I freaking loved Iowa City (it's funny, when I found I was moving to Iowa, I thought my life was over, but it turned out to be where life really began to get interesting).

Good luck, IC!

[pstans]

13. More pics from the U of Iowa

http://www.uiowa.edu/~ournews/tornado

[melissinha]

14. OMG!

I wish all the best to all of you in Iowa City and others in the wake of the Tornado....

What a wonderful place that should never see such tragedy.... I can even remember going to Martini's and wandering the Ped Mall...

When I heard about Eastern Iowa getting hit, I went into panic mode seeing as my family is in Decorah.... I wish this didn't have to hit anybody.... :cry:

Hope everybody is safe!

[rurallib]

15. Iowa City sort of like Iowa's home town

Seems like everyone in Iowa has been to Iowa City and shares some affection for the city because of the Hawkeyes or maybe because of the hospital or because of some outrageous party they went to there. So Iowa City getting smashed up probably touched most Iowans.
Funny thing though. Iowa City's downtown has had more than its share of tough times and it always seems to bounce back better than before. So while things may look a bit dark now, it will get better.
I actually grew up in IC and can remember some spectacular fires that were at the time devastating - George's Buffet, Things,Things and Things, Mondo's. Yet the town really bounces back!
Thankfully no one was killed and only a few hurt.

[Hardrada]

16. The Paper Place was a countercultural bookstore

I liked and it had a draft counseling office upstairs. It burned down mysteriously in Jan. of 1970. I always thought Richard Nixon had something to do with that. I think "urban renewal" has done more harm to downtown IC than fires. Or storms. Almost lost Old Cap to fire however.

[cascadiance]

17. Actually one lady was killed in a trailer park

But it is amazing how much damage was done without more casualties than there were.

I'll always think of Iowa City as my "home" in the midwest. Even though it looks like hell there now, I'll always think of there when singing "In Heaven There is No Beer...".

Take care folks in Iowa City. Hope to be out there in late August still when football season starts!

[MaggieSwanson]

18. I was at New Pioneer shopping with my daughter

in Coralville when the storm hit. We started to drive home, and it was nearly impossible to see. Huge amounts of hail covered the I-80 completely in white, nickel-sized balls. Cars pulled under the overpasses, sometimes leaving only one lane for traffic moving through. Illuminated sky when lightning struck, I saw a funnel cloud in the air - not touching the ground. I asked my daughter if she wanted to know if I saw a tornado, and she said absolutely not. I kept it to myself.

I eventually pulled over under an overpass once we got on 380 and my daughter and I sat in the car, listening to the radio. There were reports of tornado sightings on three sides of us, and of softball-sized hail. The area was lit with blinking hazard lights, and lightning strikes so close that everything would go pure white when they hit.

My daughter was in the back seat, text messaging my very concerned husband back home in Marion. She looked at me after a particularly brilliant series of lightning strikes and said, "Mom, we need to get out of here." I told her it couldn't last much longer, and that I thought we should just stay put. She repeated her request, and I decided that if she felt that strongly about it then I would trust her instincts.

We made it home, a 50 minute drive that seemed endless.

I saw on the news this morning pictures of flipped cars near where we were pulled over and was glad I list ended to my girl.

My daughter, who is now 17, has always been tremendously afraid of storms. I remember her when she was five, packing a pillowcase full of her favorite things, a flashlight, and graham crackers at the start of the tornado season. She'd keep the pillowcase by her bedroom door. When there were sirens, she'd grab her bag and head down to the basement with my husband, while I'd head outside. I'll never forget the sight of her sticking her bike-helmeted head out the door, wearing my tanning goggles (in case of debris!) with her hand on her hip, yelling for me to get inside. "Who is the parent and who is the child?" she'd shout. I can't help it, I'm fascinated by storms.

But last night's was...not so fun. I feel very lucky (and stupid, for not believing the weather reports) and I'm glad there were not as many injuries as there easily could have been.

Next time I'll postpone the weekly shopping trip at the Co-Op if it looks like severe weather. But I'll be on the front porch at home, you can count on it.

[Hardrada]

19. I can quite easily visualize all that since

I have been in a few wild storms myself. I was scared of thunderstorms as a kid but when I noticed how nonchalant my grandparents were about them, I became less so. Decorah always seemed rather immune from twisters for some reason. (But then, of course, so did IA CITY.)