I have a friend who writes an agronomy column for Farm News out of Fort Dodge:

“Someone reminded me on July 12th that it was the 49th anniversary of an F2 twister that hit my home farm back in 1971. I was an active participant as I had to outrun it on foot and had to hang on to a fence post in the swirling debris as it knocked down one grove and two silos while sending five buildings skyward. I had nightmares for the next wo months and woke up thinking it was just a dream, until I look out and see the place all torn up. That same feeling has to be how many people from Carroll to Davenport have to feel as they pick up the pieces.” -Bob Streit