Survivors report on their experiences during the devastating tornado in Greenfield
Colton and Shaye Newberry describe the horrific moments when a powerful tornado hit the town of Greenfield, Iowa, destroying the house where they had sought shelter.
Nearly 3.5 million people have watched a YouTube video showing a massive tornado ripping through southwest Iowa in May, destroying and toppling massive wind turbines along its path.
The storm damaged hundreds of homes and killed four people in Greenfield and one person near Corning. It was one of nine tornadoes that day and had winds in excess of 300 km/h – and possibly over 480 km/h, according to a research team’s mobile radar measurements.
MidAmerican Energy says the company is working to remove six damaged turbines it owns in Adair County that were likely directly hit by the tornado. Four other damaged turbines in nearby Adams County belong to RPM Access, which did not respond to requests for comment.
MidAmerican, a Des Moines-based utility owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, has not seen “anything of this magnitude” in two decades of operating wind farms, Geoff Greenwood, a spokesman for the utility, said in an email. Previously, MidAmerican had lost only one other turbine to a tornado that made a direct hit on its Beaver Creek farm in Greene County on Dec. 15, 2021.
According to MidAmerican, the company has accomplished the following in the three months since the tornado.
What happened immediately after the tornado?
Emergency crews kept the disaster area safe by “de-energizing” it — making sure no electricity was flowing through power cables connected to damaged or destroyed turbines, Greenwood said. While the utility remained in contact with landowners, it worked with wind turbine manufacturers and an independent engineering firm to determine the extent of the damage.
How many MidAmerican turbines were damaged?
The tornado caused five turbines, each nearly 500 feet tall, to collapse at MidAmerican’s Orient Wind Farm. FThe storm destroyed one arm and damaged the foundation of another, the utility said. The storm also knocked over a turbine at the Arbor Hills wind farm. The wind farms are located in Adair County, where Greenfield is located.
“In cases where the turbine collapsed, we removed all components from the sites, leaving only the foundations,” Tina Hoffman, a MidAmerican spokeswoman, said in an email.
Who carried out the work on the damaged turbines?
Although the wind farms are staffed by local contract technicians and MidAmerican supervisors, “we do not have the specialized equipment needed to repair, replace or decommission turbines,” Greenwood said.
MidAmerican hires contractors to remove debris and perform other work.
How much rubble is there?
MidAmerican cannot say exactly how much debris was removed, but “the total weight of turbines like those destroyed by the tornado could be 300 tons or more,” Greenfield said. As much of the materials as possible, including the blades, will be recycled or reused, he said.
What happens if the turbines cannot be repaired or replaced?
When a site is decommissioned, MidAmerican said, about 4 to 5 feet of a turbine’s 10-foot-deep concrete foundation is typically removed and replaced with topsoil. The utility will address any soil compaction so the land can be returned to agricultural use.
MidAmerican said the restoration process is detailed in lease agreements with landowners, and some counties set their own minimum standards.
Who pays for all the work?
Like other companies, MidAmerican has insurance to cover the cost of the storm damage. The company says it has not yet determined the cost of the storm because it is still waiting for an engineering analysis of the turbines’ foundations, which will influence its future decisions.
Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8457.
