We take our role in documenting history very seriously. Starting minutes after the July 19 tornado tore through Marshalltown, we’ve been keeping our community informed about the breadth of the devastation and recovery efforts. We’ve also thought long and hard about how best to capture this historic time for our community.

Our photo book, “Ravaged: Photos of the July 19, 2018 EF-3 Tornado,” is meant to seal moments in time immediately and soon after the storm. The photos are not meant to provoke awe at the devastation, but rather serve as a sign of resilience. In these photos of destruction and the beginning of recovery, we can be reminded months, years and decades from now how far we’ve come.

We were reminded of our community’s strength as we put the book together and hope all who purchased one will be just as inspired.

After getting pre-ordered books into the office last week, we remarkably sold out of remaining copies in just two days. Because of the high demand, we will be doing a second printing so everyone who wants one has the opportunity to get it.

To order a copy please call 641-753-6611. The price is $39.95 and a portion of the proceeds is being donated to the Rebuild Marshalltown fund.

We appreciate all the interest in the book and hope it inspires you.