Death Toll From Iowa Tornados Rises To Seven

[link to www.kcci.com]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The town of Parkersburg near Cedar Falls in northeast Iowa has been heavily damaged by a tornado. The Iowa Department of Emergency Management said Sunday evening that seven people had been killed. Five of those deaths were in the town of Parkersburg and two were in New Hartford.

The storm hit Sunday afternoon around 5 p.m. KCCI reporter Jon Cahill said from Parkersburg that the southern half of the town was wiped out. Cahill said Aplington-Parkersburg High School has been destroyed, with the parking lot being used as a triage center. Governor Chet Culver has declared Black Hawk and Butler counties disaster areas. "Early reports indicate that Parkersburg and surrounding areas have sustained significant damage after a possible tornado touched down earlier today," Culver said in a statement.

The Waterloo Courier reported about 14 people had been taken to Waterloo hospitals so far for treatment of their injuries. The storm concentrated on the south side of Parkersburg, which is in southern Butler County, about 20 miles west of Cedar Falls.

A live report from Parkersburg is coming up on News Channel 8 at Ten.