Five years is a long time, and yet, for many of the residents who lived through the EF-3 tornado on July 19, 2018, it still feels like yesterday. They can still tell you where they were, what they were doing, the sounds they heard and the utter shock they felt as they gazed upon the wreckage around them.

As our then-publisher Abigail Pelzer put it, it was “surreal — like walking through a bad nightmare.”

“I remember looking at the RACOM building and thinking people must have died. As we walked up Main Street, that thought returned frequently. I’m still amazed nobody was killed in the storm,” she said.

It’s been a long road back from that day, but as many others have already stated, the community came together and embodied the ideal of “Marshalltown Strong.” Neighbors helped neighbors, and strangers helped strangers. We received assistance from all over — as Mayor Joel Greer noted in a recent OpEd piece, the first ambulances came from Parkersburg, which had endured a stronger and deadlier tornado 10 years prior — even though the people of Marshalltown would be the last to ask for it.

Today, there are major signs of progress. Our beloved courthouse has been rebuilt, and the lawn is once again open to the public. As chronicled in our series of stories about the anniversary, Lennox, one of our largest employers, has rebuilt and added a new museum detailing the history of the company and its recovery from the storm. The public art program has accelerated at an incredible pace, with nearly 30 murals completed in the last 2 ½ years. Businesses are building and rebuilding here, and their owners are happy to be a part of such a strong and vibrant community. The Chamber of Commerce and MCBD’s move to their new shared office and Five Star Real Estate moving downtown are two prime examples.

The work isn’t done — as some of the empty lots and vacant buildings downtown can attest to that — but we have a unique opportunity to create the kind of downtown we want to see on this massive canvass.

Whether you’re a lifelong Marshalltonian or someone who’s only lived here for a few years, you’ve probably played some role in the process, and we are grateful you’ve chosen to make this community home. We’re proud to tell its stories — good, bad and in between — and we’ll continue to do so for as long as we can.

Another reflection Pelzer shared rings even truer today, five years on.

“Remarkable stories unfolded for years. Many told of humanity, resiliency and a true love of community,” she said.

We couldn’t agree more.