Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for four counties hit by tornadoes.

The move by Gov. Reynolds on Friday allows state resources to be used to help the cleanup after tornadoes swept through the state Thursday. The storms caused extensive damage in Lee, Marshall, Polk and Van Buren counties.

Officials say 17 people were injured.

Reynolds also issued an order Thursday that lets commercial drivers work longer hours if they are aiding in cleanup and recovery efforts.

(Radio Iowa) — Thousands of people will be traveling this weekend to Onawa, the starting point for RAGBRAI. The annual bicycle ride across the state will begin Sunday morning in the Monona County community and end in Davenport next Saturday (July 28)th. Jen Collison, with the Onawa Chamber of Commerce, believes the town of 3,000 residents is ready for 20,000 visitors.

“There’s been a lot of mowing and weed-eating, porta-pots are coming in, picnic tables, we’re starting to close streets,” Collison said. “The businesses have been great as far as decorating their store fronts.”

The Monona County Fairgrounds will serve as the primary site for campers Saturday night, but tent camping will also be allowed at the high school, in all city parks, and on the grounds of the Onawa Library. “Every piece of green grass is being used at this point for tents,” Collison said.

The entertainment in Onawa includes four live bands. Onawa last hosted RAGBRAI in 2004. According to Collison, the town has been preparing for this weekend since January. On Sunday, the first day of RAGBRAI, bicyclists will pedal 43.3 miles to Denison. The other overnight host cities are Jefferson, Ames, Newton, Sigourney, and Iowa City.

Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall was sworn-in last week, as President of the National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers and Finance Officers (NCCTFO). The ceremony was conducted by her brother, Retired Sergeant Major Terry Weiss, in Nashville, TN.

NACCTFO is an affiliate of NACo, National Association of County Officials. NACCTFO promotes professional growth, a higher level of service efficiency and character to both the general public and county government and is proactive in federal legislation and regulations that affect county government, tax collection and treasury.

Tracey Marshall has received the Chancellor’s Certificate in Public Administration, Finance Master from University of Missouri St. Louis.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Thousands of people were without power Friday after a flurry of unexpected tornadoes swept through central Iowa, injuring at least 17 people and flattening buildings in three cities. The storms even surprised weather forecasters when they hit the region Thursday afternoon, causing extensive damage to a manufacturing plant and prompting the evacuation of a hospital.

The National Weather Service said Friday that at least five tornadoes and likely more struck. Meteorologist Jeff Johnson said it will take days to determine their strength and total number. The most extensive damage was in Marshalltown, a city of 27,000 people where 10 people were injured, brick walls collapsed into the streets, roofs were blown off buildings and the cupola of the historic courthouse tumbled to the ground.

Heavy equipment crews worked around the courthouse lawn Friday to remove entire trees blown over or shredded by the storm. The loud beep of backing trucks and grinding chain saws echoed several blocks away. Businesses and homes had gaping holes, some with roofs torn off or collapsed inward.

Alliant Energy spokesman Justin Foss said 500 utility poles needed to be replaced and 10 to 12 truckloads of poles were on their way. He said 200 crews have been called in to make repairs and restore power to 6,600 customers still without power. Natural gas service remains shut down in part of the city, he said.

In Marshalltown, the main hospital was damaged and all 40 patients at UnityPoint Health were being transferred to several other hospitals. Some buildings at the Iowa Veterans Home sustained roof damage, but no residents or staffers were injured at the facility that houses nearly 500 people, home officials said.

Such strong storms weren’t expected. Forecasting models produced Thursday morning showed only a slight chance of strong thunderstorms later in the day, said Alex Krull, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, said
“It didn’t look like tornadic supercells were possible,” Krull said. “If anything, we were expecting we could get some large hail, if strong storms developed.”

Elsewhere, seven people were hurt when a tornado hit the agricultural machinery maker Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella, scattering huge sheets of metal through a parking lot and leaving one building with a gaping hole. People were still working at the plant at the time. Seven people injured at the plant were taken to Pella Regional Health Center, hospital spokeswoman Billie Rhamy said. They all were released after being treated for their minor injuries, Rhamy said.

A tornado also destroyed several homes in the Des Moines suburb of Bondurant.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A new study shows that Iowa’s counties are having trouble achieving gender balance on boards and commissions as required by state law.

The study by Iowa State University’s Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics found only four counties in the state are balanced, which is down from six counties two years ago, the Quad-City Times reported. Researchers collected data from 97 counties.

Scott, Harrison, Jasper and Winneshiek counties achieved balance on all seven boards, while 15 other counties fell one board short, the report said.

According to the report, 58.92 percent of boards and commissions were gender balanced, up just 0.28 percent from two years earlier. The percentage of boards that were balanced reached 58.64 percent in 2016, up from 49.53 percent in 2014.

There’s better representation of women on health boards, 78 percent of which are gender balanced, but only 40 percent of compensation boards are balanced, said Kelly Winfrey, coordinator of research and outreach for the center. Winfrey said achieving gender balance will require going beyond accepting applications. It also requires recruiting.

A separate report will be issued for cities soon.