I wanted to share that last Friday, April 26, my husband and I decided to visit my oldest daughter and her husband in Lincoln, Neb.. I even decided to leave work around noon, and we ended up sitting at a gas station along I-80 at Neola, Iowa, about 4:30 p.m. then drove out along some gravel roads to watch the storms.

We were waiting for the tornados to pass through Omaha before proceeding into Nebraska. Please note that this was about 5:00 p.m. and we noticed the second storm coming, which looked like a tornado was touching down so we decided to take off as it looked like it was heading in our direction.

We proceeded towards Omaha, then on to Lincoln. We were unable to take our normal Lincoln exit or next exit due to tornado damage on the northeast side of the city. I had staff and friends who knew we were heading this way sending pictures. They really looked more like the movie “Twister,” as it was the perfect looking tornado (if there is such a thing).

We also heard about all the tornadoes on the western side of Iowa and heard about Minden, which as I began to calculate where we were driving on the gravel roads, we were only a couple of miles away and 15-25 minutes prior to the tornado touching down as I joked to folks that I am “EF3 certified” with our experience here in Marshalltown. It really brought back many memories.

As we left Lincoln on Sunday, we were able to view the damage on the northeast side of town. In Iowa, we left I-80 and drove the gravel roads around Minden. The town and surrounding area were hit and had emergency crews keeping folks like us who were driving around looking at damage out of town.

My first concern was about any injuries with all the damage we had seen. I was also concerned for my fellow Auditor Melvyn Houser in Pottawattamie County. I sent him an email and have talked to him on the phone since discussing elections, employee time off options for those whose homes are affected, real estate, property tax statements, etc.

I told him that all our Department Heads and Elected Officials were here when we had our tornado, maybe in slightly different positions, but I was sure all were more than willing to be a resource for them. As someone who experienced the July 19, 2018, tornado (from the first floor northeast window in the Courthouse), it had such an effect on the north side of Marshalltown and the Marshall County Courthouse and other County facilities.

It has definitely had an effect on my work life, and I must say personal life as well. It was so interesting as I spoke with Auditor Houser on Monday listening to his questions, and I was reminded of the old saying “ignorance is bliss.” I will never forget sitting in a Long-Term Recovery Meeting during the fall of 2018 with many community leaders at the Fisher Community Center, now Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center, listening to the “tornado expert” from Joplin, Mo., discuss the rebuilding of their community from their May 22, 2011, tornado, and that it would really take at least five years before we would turn a corner for our recovery efforts.

All I could think was that she must be crazy. How could this possibly take five years? There were so many strong leaders sitting around this table and lots of resources we would be much better off. Then I remember our five-year anniversary. I was humbled as part of the great group of leaders, and we were much wiser as a community in 2023 and 2024 than in 2018.

Our EF3 tornado has taught me that the damage is selective and hard to describe. It will take one house/building site/trees and leave the next one nearly untouched.

I am not sure how the tornado selects its victims. When working on the aftermath of storm clean up, one must remember it is a marathon, not a sprint. Also, we all need to remember to keep the human aspect at the forefront of the entire cleanup process.

I wish all our western Iowa/eastern Nebraska neighbors hit by last weekend’s tornados the best during this challenging five-plus year process.

——

Nan Benson is the Marshall County Auditor/Recorder.