‘I’ve never had damage like this’: Iowa woman says recent storms worst of three she’s seen in 51 years

PLEASANT HILL, Iowa (Gray Television Iowa Capitol Bureau) – The tornadoes that hit the state put an Iowa woman in a position that she’s unfortunately found herself numerous times. She’s cleaning up from another natural disaster.

Rose Ostrand has lived in the same house in Pleasant Hill for 51 years. In that time, she’s been through the Flood of 1993 and a few tornados, but somehow the house is still here. “This is the third one out here but I’ve never had damage like this. I mean, I’ve had a couple blown windows, maybe a broken door, but nothing that we couldn’t fix ourselves. Nothing to even turn in to the insurance,” Ostrand said.

Others in the neighborhood weren’t so lucky when the EF-2 tornado touched down just before nine Friday night. The winds, which peaked around 125 miles per hour, toppled trees, blew over headstones in the cemetery, a neighbor’s trampoline ended up in a tree.

Despite living through major storms before, Ostrand still headed for cover. “I got down to my little cubby hole and I heard a loud ‘boom’, and then just glass breaking, so I knew I’d been hit, and when I got a chance to go back upstairs, I looked out the patio window and I saw my car with no garage,” Ostrand said.

Ostrand’s big tree came down and knocked out her gas meter, so she’s been without hot water since the storm. Still, she considers herself lucky that she has neighbors, like Tyler Luft, who look out for her. “They’ve done more about cleaning out my yard than I have. I’ll go out and I’ll pick up a few things and he and his wife are dragging stuff out,” Ostrand said.

Ostrand says she’s “their senior” and they’re always checking on her. Luft says the favors go both ways. “Yeah but don’t let her fool you, snow in winter, sometimes she she’d do my snow before I would get to it,”” Luft said.

Right now though, they’re focused up on cleaning from the spring storm. Ostrand has seen many come through the neighborhood before, and she says they’ll be just fine.

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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Television-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.

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