(Radio Iowa) – Damage is being assessed in southwest Iowa’s Page and Fremont counties after a tornado touched down Thursday night. Page County emergency management coordinator Jill Harvey says the storm veered north of the town of Essex. “Thankfully, it did not hit directly in Essex,” Harvey says. “They had some minor power outages here in town, but there are several structures damaged around the area.” Harvey says officials were concerned for a time that the tornado would strike Shenandoah, but fortunately, it steered away. She’s asking Essex residents to avoid leaving their homes, for now, and for gawkers to keep out.

“We do have quite a few trees covering roads,” Harvey says. “You may come across roads that are blocked. Due to the damage and debris across roads and downed power lines, we are requesting that people stay out of the area. If you happen to be around Essex, please use extreme caution. There are power lines down.” Despite the damage, Harvey says no injuries were reported in the county. National Weather Service survey teams are expected to fan out across the region to inspect the damage. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says he expects the farming community to take a heavy hit from the storms. “While some towns may have been sparred, like Essex,” Naig says, “everybody was really watching last night, and hoping for the best there. We know that there have been farms that have been damaged.”

Aside from the tornado damage, Naig says reports of large hail in parts of the state are also concerning. “Just incredible hail size and hail damage,” Naig says. “Not just in southwest Iowa, but we did see some reports even up in northeast (Iowa), where there were some systems that got built up, and you’re hearing about one inch and two inch hail sizes — and that can do a heck of a lot of damage, as we all well know.” Thursday’s storms struck in the wake of last year’s horrific tornado outbreaks, including the May 21st twister that hit Greenfield. Though rebuilding efforts continue in Greenfield, Naig says some producers are still coping with storm damage.”There’s been an incredible amount of work that’s been done,” Naig says. “A lot of homes rebuilt, some farm places that are on their way, but a lot of people that are not yet in their homes. It’s a year ago that it happened. It’s a good reminder that, hey, there’s been a ton of progress made, with the community rallying together — the communities, not just Greenfield. But, boy, we’re a long ways from being totally recovered.”

Naig says it’s “just the reality, unfortunately, of spring, particularly in Iowa.”