2008 Woodie Awards
Calm after the storm
One year later Iowa City residents reflect on devastating tornado
Sean Malone, Marc Matheny and Matt Murphy
Issue date: 4/12/07 Section: Iowa City
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For most Iowa City residents hearing the sound of spring tornado sirens being tested is an annual occurrence. However, in the early evening hours of April 13, 2006, as sirens howled, the community quickly learned that this was no precautionary warning. Iowa City was the epicenter of an F-2 tornado that cut a nearly five mile swath of destruction through the heart of the downtown area and the University of Iowa campus.
The initial touchdown of the twister occurred on the southwest edge of town and quickly made its way northeast toward Interstate 80. Patrons in the Pedestrian Mall, located downtown, were forced to scramble for shelter anywhere they could find it. Convenience stores, restaurants and bars all provided emergency refuge as the seriousness of the situation took hold. Bridget Malone, a Spanish professor at the Kirkwood Community College Iowa City campus, was one of those people.
Malone said she was hanging out with her women's reading group at Donnelly's, a restaurant located on College Street downtown, when the tornado warning was issued but said she felt doubtful that a tornado would actually hit Iowa City. "Eventually, a women ran into the bar screaming 'there is a tornado,'" she said. With drink in hand, Malone said she ran down the steps to the basement of the restaurant.
During the aftermath, Malone said she remembered observing all the damage the tornado left behind. "On the other side of the street, facing Martini's, the glass was all broken out and water was gushing down the front of the building like a waterfall," Malone described. "The whole experience was surreal for me," Reflecting a year later, Malone said she feels lucky the tornado never struck Donnelly's and believes people will take future warnings a lot more seriously.
Another person affected by the storm was former Kirkwood student Sarah Pilaszewski who worked at the Happy Joe's formerly located on the corner of Gilbert and Burlington Street. Happy Joe's, which was completely leveled by the tornado, is now temporarily located on Second Avenue in Coralville. Pilaszewski said losing her job to the tornado was a depressing experience. "I loved that store. I had some of my best memories working there," she recalled.
The initial touchdown of the twister occurred on the southwest edge of town and quickly made its way northeast toward Interstate 80. Patrons in the Pedestrian Mall, located downtown, were forced to scramble for shelter anywhere they could find it. Convenience stores, restaurants and bars all provided emergency refuge as the seriousness of the situation took hold. Bridget Malone, a Spanish professor at the Kirkwood Community College Iowa City campus, was one of those people.
Malone said she was hanging out with her women's reading group at Donnelly's, a restaurant located on College Street downtown, when the tornado warning was issued but said she felt doubtful that a tornado would actually hit Iowa City. "Eventually, a women ran into the bar screaming 'there is a tornado,'" she said. With drink in hand, Malone said she ran down the steps to the basement of the restaurant.
During the aftermath, Malone said she remembered observing all the damage the tornado left behind. "On the other side of the street, facing Martini's, the glass was all broken out and water was gushing down the front of the building like a waterfall," Malone described. "The whole experience was surreal for me," Reflecting a year later, Malone said she feels lucky the tornado never struck Donnelly's and believes people will take future warnings a lot more seriously.
Another person affected by the storm was former Kirkwood student Sarah Pilaszewski who worked at the Happy Joe's formerly located on the corner of Gilbert and Burlington Street. Happy Joe's, which was completely leveled by the tornado, is now temporarily located on Second Avenue in Coralville. Pilaszewski said losing her job to the tornado was a depressing experience. "I loved that store. I had some of my best memories working there," she recalled.
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