Storms that affected many portions of southeast Iowa last Friday caused notable damage in the northern part of Washington County near Hillcrest Academy, as well as southern Johnson County in Hills.

Both areas experienced damage from the EF-2 rated tornado, which brought winds between 111 and 135 miles per hour. Cleanup began over the weekend, with damage done to homes, apartments, and farm properties.

Gabrielle Frederick spoke with KCII Saturday about the cleanup efforts after severe weather caused damage to her inlaws’ property west of Joetown. “This is just when living in a small community is so awesome. You just have all these people, you have family, friends, people you don’t even know. It’s just such a blessing to have them come out. I mean there’s at least 40-50 people here at 8:30 [a.m.]. Just the amount of work that has been done in the first two and a half hours has been amazing. It is truly a team effort and we’re just so thankful that we have these people in our life.”

Frederick went on to add that while many people in the area lost homes, animals, and more, her inlaws felt fortunate that only their barn was affected.

While cleanup efforts continue throughout the state, the Iowa Unit of Mennonite Disaster Services is still accepting volunteers to pick up debris in the Wellman and Kalona areas. To sign up and help, click here.