Our team coverage of last nights severe storms continues. We’re speaking with a hail expert.
Victor Gensini, professor and meteorology program advisor at NIU, joins the show.

An elderly couple died after a possible tornado ripped through the town.

The couple’s family said they’re shocked that Tuesday night’s tornado leveled their grandparents’ home and took their lives.

“Obviously, we’ve never seen anything remotely resembling this,” said son-in-law Steve Rhefeldt.

A place that Ed Kozlowski, 89, and his wife, Arlene, 86, once called home is now gone.

“They were wonderful, just really wonderful human beings. You know, tough old guy and sweet old lady,” he said.

The Indiana Urban Search and Rescue team was spotted on Wednesday sifting through the debris along with Rhefeldt and his son, Matthew, who traveled from Peotone to see the damage.

The elderly couple was unable to get out of the debris alive. Relatives believe that everything happened within the blink of an eye.

“They’ve lived a good life, and boy, you kind of… I have to imagine this was just “hey, what’s going on?” and it was over that quick,” Steve said.

The family said they were in the process of planning Ed’s 90th birthday at the home the couple had lived in for years. Everything the couple built is now gone.

“We were talking on the way here. These cars, there’s big heavy V8 engines in big trucks, and the wind is literally taking his car, which was parked somewhere, maybe right there, and taking it and flipping it upside down,” Steve said.

The couple had four kids, seven grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Lake Village was left with extensive damage that crews are just starting to clear. Steven Travis said he survived the tornado but lost everything.

“Roof’s gone all in 20 seconds. I walked in the bedroom, got knocked down, climbed in the closet, and it was over. Come back out, climbed out, and the roof’s gone, everything. Trees are down, windows blowed out. Lost everything,” Steven said.

North Newton High School in Lake Village is serving as an emergency shelter for anyone displaced by the storm. The Lake Village Fire Department is also serving as a rallying point.

Newton County officials confirmed that more than 100 buildings were damaged in Lake Village and more than 30 were destroyed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – Local governments in Iowa will no longer be able to protect civil rights that are not protected by the state.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the measure into law Tuesday. The law follows another bill Reynolds signed last year that removed gender identity as a protected class in Iowa.

When lawmakers first debated the legislation, protesters showed up in opposition. Those against the law say local governments should be able to protect their residents.

Reynolds said the law clears up confusion for businesses and schools.

“We just believe that locals should follow the state laws, especially when it comes to civil rights,” Reynolds said. “Otherwise, we have a mismatch of rights out there, and we felt that it was the right thing to do.”

Reynolds also said the law ensures girls are protected in women’s sports and in public bathrooms.

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