7:40 TONIGHT. IT DID LOTS OF DAMAGE TO TWO MOBILE HOME PARKS.
I TALKED TO TOM MARLOWE, WHO LIVES IN ONE OF THE TRAILERS AND HE TOLD
ME IT STARTED RAINING, THEN BEGAN TO RAIN VERY HARD AND THEN SUDDENLY,
THERE WAS LOTS OF NOISE FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS AS THE TORNADO
PASSED OVER. IT APPARTENTLY CAME QUICKLY AND THERE WAS NO TIME
TO ALERT RESIDENTS WITH THE SIREN. THE SIREN WAS SOUNDED AFTER THE
TORNADO HIT. THE HILLSIDE MOBILE HOME COURT, IS LOCATED ON NORTH MATTESON, JUST OFF PERSHING ROAD AND DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE LARGE UNITED LIVESTOCK AUCTION BUILDING. WHEN TOM MARLOWE CAME OUTSIDE OF HIS LARGE TRAILER, HE NOTICED THE DAMAGE WAS EVERYWHERE IN THE 13 UNIT COURT. TWO TRAILERS WERE BLOWN OVER. AND THOSE HAPPENED TO BE THE TWO THAT WERE NOT BEING LIVED IN AT THE PRESENT TIME. OTHER TRAILERS WERE DAMAGED BY TREES OR TREE BRANCHES THAT FELL ON TOP OF THE HOMES. ANOTHER MOBILE HOME HAD ONE SIDE TORN APART. AND, IN ONE HOME, A MOTHER AND HER 8 YEAR OLD BOY WERE HIT AFTER A WINDOW WAS BLOWN IN, CAUSING THINGS TO FLY INSIDE THE HOME. THE BOY WAS TAKEN TO THE MAQUOKETA HOSPITAL AND RECEIVED 4 STICHES TO HIS FOOT AND THEN RELEASED. ALL HILLSIDE MOBILE HOMES WERE EVACUATED AND POWER TO THE PARK WAS CUT OFF UNTIL TOMORROW WHEN....
IN THE DAYLIGHT.... THE DAMAGES CAN BE BETTER DETERMINED.
THE OTHER TRAILER COURT, A LARGER ONE KNOWN AS TIMBER CITY TRAILER PARK, IS LOCATED ABOUT A COUPLE BLOCKS EAST OF THE HILLSIDE COURT, AND JUST OFF PERSHING ROAD.
IT TOO HAD LOTS OF TREES DOWN AND DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES. POLICE
EVACUATED ALL THE HOMES AND CLOSED THE PARK DOWN FOR THE NIGHT. THE MOBLE HOMES THERE APPEARED TO HAVE LESS DAMAGE THAN THOSE IN THE HILLSIDE COURT.
ALSO ON PERSHING ROAD, A STORAGE BUILDING LOCATED ON THE DUB ROMER PROPERTY HAD EXTENSIVE ROOF DAMAGE.
ASSISTING AT THE SCENE AT BOTH MOBILE HOME COURTS WERE MEMBERS OF THE MAQUOKETA FIRE DEPARTMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT, SHERIFF'S OFFICE
AND THE MAQUOKETA MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY.
KMAQ NEWS EXPECTS TO HEAR OF MORE DAMAGE IN THE COUNTY TOMORROW,
SO CHECK BACK TOMORROW TO FIND OUT ANY NEW INFORMATION ON THE
TORNADO.
THE PHOTO ABOVE IS QUITE DARK, BUT YOU CAN SEE A COUPLE OF THE HOMES AND THE TREES ON THE GROUND. CLICK-ON THE PHOTO ENLARGE IT. CLICK A SECOND TIME TO ENLARGE IT MORE.
DENNIS VOY
