Tornadoes struck Iowa Thursday, ripping the top off the historic Marshall County Courthouse and significantly damaging two of Iowa’s major businesses. The National Weather Service used the word “catastrophic” to describe the destruction in Marshalltown. The roof was ripped off Marshalltown’s hospital and patients were evacuated. Lennox Industries facilities were damaged. Mark Smith, who represents Marshalltown in the state legislature, says homes were hit, too.
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Police enforced a 9 p.m. curfew in Marshalltown, where about 10-thousand Alliant Energy customers were without power. Officials also announced the Marshall County Courthouse would be closed until further notice. Smith says the building is the crown jewel of Marshalltown.
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The tornado tore off the building’s cupola. The courthouse was built 132 years ago and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In Pella, the mile-long Vermeer Manufacturing campus took a direct hit late Thursday afternoon. In addition to hundreds of production workers, Vermeer was hosting about 400 deals and customers yesterday. Mary Andringa, chair of the company’s board of directors, is the daughter of Vermeer’s founder.
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Vermeer operations for Friday are cancelled and the road in front of Vermeer’s campus is closed to traffic.