Updated 6-12 8:20pm
The raw video below shows some of the damage at the Little Sioux Boy Scout Camp after the tornado hit.
Update 10:22pm – CNN is reporting that four people have been killed at the Boy Scout camp in western Iowa. There were 100 scouts at the camp when the storm struck and around 20 people have been injured. People are being transported to the hospital which is about 100 miles from the camp. While a Monona County dispatcher says that no deaths have been confirmed CNN is reporting that four people have died.
According to KCCI, the scout master said that there were 96 campers at the site (not 100) and they were trapped when the tornado hit. Many of the buildings have been flattened by the storm. KCCI is also reporting the four deaths.
CNN has more information now:
Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Gene Meyer said the four were killed by a storm that slammed into the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near the Nebraska state line.
Meyer said about 120 people, including 93 children, were believed to be at the camp at the time of the storm.
Lloyd Roitstein, president of the Boy Scouts of Mid-America Council, said the scouts at the ranch were between 13 and 18 years old and were there for a week of training. He said all of them were staying in tents and that the site was destroyed.
“All of the buildings are gone; most of the tents are gone; most of the trees are destroyed,” Roitstein said. “You’ve got 1,800 acres of property that are destroyed right now.”
All through the midwest I have been hearing about the storms and flooding that just seem to continue to get worse. Forecasters are warning Iowa City residents that expected showers this weekend may cause as much flooding as in 1993. Not that I want flooding (for me or anyone) but we damn sure could use some rain here in West Georgia.
I just came across this story at KCCI in Des Moines linked from CNN. Apparently a tornado has touched down at a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, injuring at least 40 people and possibly with fatalities. The DOT has been dispatched to clear trees so that rescuers can get to Little Sioux Scout Camp and state troopers have been dispatched as well as a search and rescue team.
The Iowa Governor’s office can’t say why a search and rescue team has been sent and there is no definite report on the fatalities if there are actually are some. Hopefully everyone will be OK.
There is now a story up at CNN and they are reporting that first responders are at the camp about an hour north of Omaha and that at least 20 people are injured.
Army Spc. Jeffrey A. Williams
20 years old from Warrenville, Illinois
Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
September 5, 2005
SPC. Jeffery A. Williams was killed in action when an IED was detonated near his combat patrol in Tal Afar, Iraq.
Your time with us was far too short
Dealing with your loss will be hard,
When I think about what this world has lost
I want to just shut out the world and cry,
But I will not do that.
Because you gave your life for something much greater than you or I
So, I will remember you as the Hero that you are
And never let what you did in your life cut short be forgotten
And that is the best way I know to honor you
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
