Greenfield residents say they’re lucky to be alive in the aftermath of the devastating tornado

By Web staff

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    GREENFIELD, Iowa (KCCI) — As clean-up begins in Greenfield, survivors are at a loss for words as they dig through the rubble that used to be their homes.

The Iowans who walked away with their lives say they’re blessed because they know several others didn’t. But the loss of seemingly all their possessions still stings.

“It’s just stuff,” said Greenfield resident Scott Armstrong, “But it was my stuff, I earned it, it was mine, now it’s just to the curb.”

Armstrong wasn’t home during the storm and says he’s lucky he wasn’t — as his house didn’t have a basement. He still stands in awe of the storm’s power.

“I think they said it was about seven seconds that it came through and it was done. So your life changes in seven seconds,” Armstrong said.

Others say they didn’t even have the time to get to their basements, so they waited out the storm on their staircases. Randy Stanford hid in his son’s house with his grandchildren. When they emerged afterward, he was brought to tears by the sight of his hometown reduced to shambles.

“It’s a horrible thing to see your son’s house, you know,” Stanford said as he began to tear up, “At least he’s got insurance and we’re all safe.”

Raymond Young Sr.’s home is left in shambles, the back of the house completely destroyed. He tells KCCI he was in his neighbor’s garage as the tornado approached when they made the split decision to run into the house and down to the basement.

“About 5 or 15 seconds later, the garage was gone that we were in,” said Young Sr. “We got lucky that we went when did, or else we’d be dead.”

After the tornado, Young Sr.’s son—Ray Young Jr.—says he got the call from his dad sharing what happened to the down his father and several other family members live in.

“I was actually on the phone with my daughter when he called me,” said Young Jr.

Young Jr. rushed from his home in Creston to help his loved ones. When he arrived, his father was already up and out checking on people.

“I went around and knocked on doors to make sure everybody was safe,” said Young Sr. “We kicked in the neighbor’s door to get the woman out of there. She was trapped with a broken leg.”

The father-son duo says the neighbor is fine, as are a lot of other people they credit first responders for saving in Greenfield.

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