Governor Kim Reynolds was in Pella Friday afternoon to see first-hand the damage caused by Thursday afternoon’s tornado at Vermeer Manufacturing.  “Truly, truly just a miracle that we had no fatalities and the amount of damage that we see here. To think that we had 400 customers on site. I think that says volumes about your team and how they were able to respond very quickly to the tornado and to make sure that people were safe and getting taken care of.”

Two of Vermeer’s eight buildings were totaled by the tornado. Vermeer President and CEO Jason Andringa tells the North Coast Network how the damage will affect production.  “At this point, we are quite optimistic that we may be able to get some of our production going again next week, starting early in the week. In the near term, we think we’re going to be able to ramp up even more production.  Andringa says the building where parts are stored was not affected by the tornado.

In all, seven people were treated for minor injuries at Pella Regional Medical Center.

Reynolds has also been checking on tornado damage in Bondurant and Marshalltown. The National Weather Service says at least five tornadoes hit lowa on Thursday. Meteorologist Jeff Johnson says it will take days to determine the full number of tornadoes and how strong they were.  The National Weather Service says the tornado was an EF-3, with sustained winds of 144 miles an hour. Several buildings at Vermeer had significant damage and the company’s waste management facility was destroyed. 

Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella will be open for business today following Thursday’s tornado. Team members on all shifts in Corporate, Plant 1, Plant 2 (front office and production), Plant 3 (front office and production) and the Parts Center should report to work today beginning with first shift. Team members on all shifts in front office and production of Plants 4, 5, 6 and 7, ACS/Test, Vermeer Underground Technologies and the Global Pavilion should not report to work unless contacted by their manager.

Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella is closed today as company officials assess the damage from a tornado yesterday afternoon. Around 4:15pm, there was a reported tornado touchdown at Vermeer. The storm caused significant damage to the east side of Vermeer’s plant. Mary Andringa is chair of the company’s board of directors.  Andringa: “This has been a momentous afternoon and we’ve had a lot of damage at Vermeer. We’re still assessing it.”  Andringa says besides Vermeer’s regular work force, the company was hosting about 400 customers and dealers yesterday.  Seven people were treated for minor injuries at Pella Regional Health Center and released. Once again, Vermeer Manufacturing is closed today and the road in front of Vermeer’s campus is closed to the public.  There were several tornado warnings in the region Thursday afternoon. The No Coast Network is reaching out to local emergency officials for updates on storm damage.

Area law enforcement has received several calls about a stabbing and sexual assault—but it never happened. The Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office says it received a call Tuesday morning (7/17) about a woman being attacked on the Caldwell Park Recreational Trail. The woman identified herself as Jocelyn Barns of Texas. But when law enforcement arrived, the woman wasn’t around. The Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office tells the No Coast Network this is a hoax and that several other law enforcement agencies in the state had received a similar call. The investigation into the hoax is continuing.