At least 17 tornadoes occurred in Iowa on April 26, causing damage in several counties and significant destruction, including one death, in the small Pottawattamie County town of Minden.

That is the latest count from the National Weather Service in Des Moines based on preliminary reports and completed storm surveys as teams continue to evaluate damage and determine ratings for additional tornadoes in the coming days.

If you want to help support the communities and people impacted by the severe weather, here’s how.

How can I help, Minden, Iowa recover from the tornado?

Minden remained closed off to the general public as of Monday afternoon due to debris and the use of heavy equipment in the town. As a result, officials are asking that volunteers and organizations don’t self-deploy to the area, according to a Pottawattamie County news release.

Cleanup efforts and securing infrastructure began during the weekend, and as needs arise and safety conditions improve, officials will announce volunteer opportunities.

Monetary donations are encouraged for those who wish to donate to help people affected by the Minden tornado, who can then purchase what they need, according to the news release.

How to make Minden-specific donations will be announced in the coming days. Currently, people can make donations to the Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund at givewesterniowa.org to support areas impacted in the region, according to the news release.

Readers’ Watchdog: Home damaged by weekend storms? Here’s what you need to know

How can I help Pleasant Hill, Iowa recover from the tornado?

Take an aerial look at the tornado damage Pleasant Hill suffered

A tornado swept through Pleasant Hill Friday, April 26, damaging a number of homes and power lines.

Provided by Polk County Iowa

The Pleasant Hill tornado, classified as an EF2, lasted roughly 12 minutes and caused one injury and damage to nearly 20 homes.

The city is not asking for physical donations, according to a news release on April 27. Financial donations can be made through the Disaster Recovery Fund, which the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines has activated following the severe storms and tornado that affected Pleasant Hill.

Grants are awarded to community-based organizations and service providers responding to a disaster and grants are made to meet the needs not already being addressed by existing resources and programs, according to the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.

Pleasant Hill’s Facebook page encourages people needing assistance or wanting to offer assistance to call 211.

More: Parking is not allowed on some Pleasant Hill streets as crews clean up tornado debris

Looking for another way to help? Round up your purchase at Casey’s

Shoppers can round up their purchases at Casey’s stores in Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma as part of a campaign supporting the American Red Cross through May 10, said Katie Petru, a spokesperson for the convenience store chain.

Here are tips to avoid scams after disasters

People impacted by natural disasters such as a tornado should be aware of fraudulent contractors that take advantage of people in need of repairs.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has some tips if you hire a contractor. Here are several:

• Work with an established, reputable local contractor.
• Legitimate contractors rarely solicit through door-to-door, so be skeptical about who shows up at your home.
• Avoid paying large sums of money to a contractor in advance. If you have to make a partial advance payment for materials, make your payment out to the supplier and the contractor and insist on a mechanic’s lien waiver in case the contractor fails to pay others.

People should also watch for scammers posing as officials with government disaster assistance agencies, according to the Federal Trade Commission. You can spot an imposter because they’ll demand money.

But scams aren’t limited to those impacted by a natural disaster.

People wanting to help those impacted by a natural disaster should be aware of scammers seeking donations for disaster relief. Donate to trusted, well-known charities and verify its legitimacy through its official website as scammers may create fake charities during natural disasters, according to the FTC.  

Paris Barraza is a trending and general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Protests in support of Palestine are unfolding at a number of college campuses across the country.

Sunday, people gathered in Iowa City to protest an event hosting House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has condemned the student protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Health officials have reported tens of thousands dead in the Gaza Strip, following the October 7th Hamas attack which killed hundreds of Israelis.

The protestors in Iowa City on Sunday said they wanted the U.S. to have no part in any deaths.

“We want our President and our Congress to take concrete steps to stop sending weapons to Israel,” said Newman Abuissa, one of the protestors.

Abuissa said he does not support violence or Hamas.

“We condemn Hamas’ killing of civilians,” he said.

Spencer Morton, another protestor, said he was there to “protest Speaker Mike Johnson, who has categorized these crowds as anti-Semitic and disruptive.”

Johnson made those remarks Wednesday as he called for the resignation of the President of Columbia University, the site of a major Free Palestine protest.

“This is threats and intimidation of violence against Jewish students for who they are,” he said.

Johnson oversaw the passage of a foreign aid package in the House, which was signed by President Biden last week. The bill provides a total of $26 billion for Israel, which does include funding for humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip.

Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who spoke with Johnson at an event in Iowa City Sunday, said it was imperative to continue to support America’s ally, Israel.

“Hamas is a proxy for Iran,” she said. “When America is weak, and we allow a vacuum to exist, we see foreign aggression.”

TV9 asked if she believed the U.S. should support Israel no matter what.

“I am saying that we will continue to push Israel to make sure that they limit any harm to civilians,” said Miller-Meeks. “The IDF is doing all that they can, but even our troops, even American troops, even the United States—when you’re doing urban warfare, it is extraordinarily difficult.”

Like Johnson, Miller-Meeks also voiced opposition to the pro-Palestinian protests.

She said she believed the protestors “don’t even know what the words they espouse mean. It’s one thing to protest, to exercise your right to free speech in support. It’s another thing to espouse hatred and killing of Jews.”

These protestors said killing was the very thing they were fighting against.

“It’s important to support life,” said Morton.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.

WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa (KCRG) – Saturday, an Iowa man was awarded the Order of the Gray Dragon, recognizing his work in a Navy Nuclear Weapons Program.

Navy veteran Robert Mowry was given the award by the Navy Nuclear Weapons Association in a ceremony in Williamsburg Saturday.

The recognition belongs to one person at a time, the member of the Nuclear Weapons Program with the earliest entry date. With the passing of the previous Dragon, that honor now belongs to Mowry.

“I went into Special Weapons Unit 1233 in January 1953 from boot camp. Had no idea what a special weapons was. Gun that shoots around the corner? What? Had no idea—I had no idea it meant atomic weapons,” said Mowry.

Mowry’s job was to inspect the atomic bombs.

“I did this five days a week for two-and-a-half years,” he said.

He was never able to tell anyone about his service until 1996 with the repeal of the Nuclear Radiation and Secrecy Agreements Act.

“All he said was, ‘I served in the Navy,’” said Mowry’s daughter Angie Daugherty. “It was a big deal to him to be able to finally talk about what he did.”

Kris Hobbs, the president of the Navy Nuclear Weapons Association, said those who worked on nuclear weapons are a dying breed.

“There’s a lot of stuff that’s going on here that they’ve received… radiation exposure and so forth—that the VA is not recognizing it a lot. So it’s good for us to recognize the oldest one here,” said Hobbs.

Mowry watched 17 atomic bombs explode in the Marshall Islands.

“You heard the sound wave come across….watch the mushroom cloud rise and disperse and see if it was going to flow over you or not,” said Mowry.

“Back in the day, they didn’t know anything about radiation,” said Daugherty. “It’s amazing that he’s even still here.”

Mowry is still here, grateful that so many friends and family came to celebrate his service.

“What I did was very unusual. There aren’t many people that did what I did…I’m very proud, very proud of my service,” said Mowry.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.