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I had a friend in Parkersburg,he said they found his wife 300 yards from what was left of the house,in shock,no memory of the event,but still alive

A tornado that can cause fatalities to someone in a basement is in a class of its own, that is insane. The power it must have to cause damage that far down is incomprehensible.

hearing the children screaming in that audio from the restaurant brought tears to my eyes. i don't have kids myself but i put myself in their parents shoes, terrified, holding onto their children as tight as possible just praying that it will all be okay.. how horrific.

your phone buzzing and making noises does not make you as alert as a very loud external tornado siren.

I just bought my first house in Dunkerton about a month before this tornado ripped through town. It missed our house by less than a mile.

I remember going out to Parkersburg to help with cleanup and it was just, it changed my life. The damage was indescribable. I saw houses that were turned into toothpicks, nothing but their foundations left. Small debris that was stuck in trees just from the sheer force of the wind. The property I was on, will never forget the homeowner’s appreciation and kindness after just losing everything.  But most of all I remembered seeing him embracing a loved one and thinking to myself, that’s what matters. Not the stuff that he lost, the items that can be replaced, but the people that love us.

I knew right then what mattered to me the most and proposed to GF and we’ve been married now for over 15 years.

It’s sad to see that so many towns and cities in the United States are getting rid of tornado sirens. It’s unfortunately one of the only things people take seriously in a warning because they sound so intense. They are very effective in terms of getting people’s attention despite what people say about not being able to hear them indoors when a good system can be heard inside from buildings. Plus people normally go outdoors to look for tornadoes no matter what. We need to bring sirens back!

My wife was in this tornado in the gas station that got hit across from the bar and grill. She was lucky. And I'm glad she's here today.

Rip to the 9 people who died in the tornado, they were in there basements too but the tornado took their lives. Truly a devastating event for all

RIP to the people who took all the right actions and still died while sheltering in their basements.

16:48 I give my respect to these people Who did everything right but still couldn't save them from nature's monster

Keep doing those animations, they’re a great visual reference for how tornadoes look in the moment

14:05 that “just kidding” was absolutely diabolical..

One of the most profoundly violent tornadoes in recorded history. The debris granulation from this monster was absurd, and the damage photos are haunting. Basement walls sheared and everything in its surrounding area, including asphalt is scouted down to bare soil. That is terrifying

One tidbit of info not often mentioned about this tornado is that Parkersburg had installed a new tornado warning siren only ten days before the tornado. It was located right in the path of the tornado, and was also destroyed.

I was 14 and part of a volunteer group that was on the ground just under a month to help with relief efforts in Parkersburg. My group actually split up to help with tornado and flooding relief, as not long after the tornado, neighboring towns experienced massive flooding. It was a sobering experience, pulling debris out of ditches and sorting through wreckage of what used to be homes. But the people in Parkersburg were still so kind. Their strength really impacted me as a teenager and it was definitely shapes me even now, over 15 years later. Their ability to overcome such a traumatic experience is an inspiration. Sending everyone there love and respect ❤

The footage from the bank is absolutely terrifying.

Kinda odd that a bank has a camera facing a nice lone little country home.

Clearly if it wasn’t so underexposed, you’d likely see the entire structure lifted.

That overall system of Late May 2008 has achieved legendary status, if you ask me.

One of the first homes to be hit belonged to an elderly Russ. Despite being completely finished, down to the basement, all that was left was half a toilet. Walls, wiring, piping, flooring, it was all wiped clean with large swirls in the concrete of the basement. While it was a blessing he wasn't home, he WAS still in the path. He took shelter in the centrally located equipment closet of a concrete block car wash on 57 with two other men. They were unable to completely close the door and were holding onto russ as the tornado tried to pull him out. He was banged up pretty good but made it thru.

Another friend's brother lived on the gravel 325th st, parallelling 57. He opened the gates so his family member's livestock could try to escape but it took too long. He drove south towards 57 and ended up in the ditch across the highway. He said all he could see was a wall of black and was nearly hit by an ATV falling in front of him.

Many people consider Parkersburg/New Hartford a forgotten tornado. The portion of New Hartford NOT affected by the tornado was then underwater a month later in the flood of 2008. 2008 was a devastating year for Iowa. I appreciate there's been more recognition of the Parkersburg event all these years later.

7:58 it's crazy that someone had just lost their life while he filmed this.