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Iowa (early) News Headlines: Mon., April 16th 2012

News

April 16th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

THURMAN, Iowa (AP) — One resident says it looks “like World War Three” in Thurman following a tornado that damaged at least 75 percent of homes in the small town. Thurman Mayor Rod Umphreys says city officials sounded the tornado sirens seven minutes before the twister packing 135 mile-per-hour winds swept through town Saturday night. He says no one was killed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Governor Terry Branstad has issued an emergency proclamation for two southwest Iowa counties in the wake of Saturday’s severe storms. The declaration allows state resources to be used to help communities in Fremont and Union counties recover. State officials say a hospital suffered roof damage and had its windows blown out in the Union County town of Creston. Governor Branstad reviewed the damage yesterday afternoon.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reducing the amount of water released into the Missouri River in light of the heavy rains that fell this weekend in Nebraska and Iowa. The corps says that releases from the Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota were being lowered yesterday to prevent flooding along the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

HICKMAN, Iowa (AP) — One man has died after a car struck a utility pole in Hickman. Des Moines police, responding to a report of downed power lines, found the crash about 2:20 a.m. yesterday. Police say one man was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were taken to hospitals.