Tornado Hits Iowa Farms

Occurred on March 31, 2023 / Martinsburg, Iowa, USA

Info from Licensor: "I was on my way home from a doctor's appointment in Ottumwa, IA when I received a call and warning that there was a possibility of tornadoes and confirmed 2-inch hail on my normal route. I opted to go the more northern route and try to avoid the worst hail. While en route, the weather around me started to deteriorate very quickly. While traveling back to the east trying to stay ahead of the hail I realized that I had a very large powerful tornado just to my south about a mile tracking mostly parallel to me. I had already passed through Hedrick and was headed toward Martinsburg. I stopped on the eastern edge of Martinsburg and videoed the tornado hitting 2 farms/houses then a hog building with 10,000 40lb feeder pigs and finally, a 3rd farm/house just as it crossed the highway. I was traveling about a 1/2 mile ahead. Soon as the tornado crossed the road, I headed to the 2nd farmhouse that was destroyed in the video. After searching the house and learning the owner wasn’t home, I headed towards the first farmhouse hit in the video. I was blocked by live power lines hanging across the road and couldn’t get through the ditch. The fire department had come from the other direction so I went back to the 2nd house and took pictures and video of the damage. Then I headed home as there were more storms headed directly at our farm."