Tornado Sweeps Through Eastern Iowa

The tornado, with winds between 136 to 140 mph, struck the town of Grandview, went north through Fruitland and dissipated in the Muscatine area about 10 minutes later, said Jeff Zogg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Davenport.

Gov. Chet Culver declared a disaster emergency for Jackson, Louisa and Muscatine counties, authorizing state and local authorities to assist in the cleanup.

In Grandview, a town of about 600, oak trees were shredded in various parts of town and debris from flattened homes littered the streets. One brick house stood roofless, while a few uprooted trees had crashed through a nearby garage.

Darryl Erickson, a pastor at Grandview Bible Church, said he was in his office when the twister hit.

"All of a sudden it started getting darker and I heard a lot of wind," Erickson said. "I looked out the window and saw stuff flying. And it was all over just like that."