Salvation Army and Americorps help clean up and provide meals after tornado hits Greenfield

Volunteers are flocking to Greenfield to help the rural Iowa town recover from a devastating EF4 tornado.

Volunteer Iowa, alongside AmeriCorps, has organized cleanup operations, receiving support from several border states.

“There’s shingles, debris and fences down. We’ve got trees in the ditches and they really just need help getting it all back up,” said Jamie Lane, Volunteer Iowa volunteer coordinator. “The city itself needs help. We’re trying to collect and transport the debris to where the big equipment can get to.”

The tornado ripped through Greenfield on Tuesday, May 21, destroying more than 150 homes. More than 300 volunteers flocked to the decimated city over the next few days, Lane said. That number has slowly declined in the week since, though volunteers have held steady at between 35 and 40 per day, helping the recovery stay on track.

“Believe it or not, we got two-thirds,” Lane said. “We’re starting to check things out, but we still have a long way to go.”

The Salvation Army served 750 meals to residents and volunteers on Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1, with plans to distribute 250 more on Sunday.

“It can range from 20 to 100 meals a day,” said Dan Hull of the Salvation Army. “I know last weekend had a big number.”

More: Funeral services to begin soon for Greenfield tornado victims

Volunteers continue to arrive in the devastated city

Volunteer volunteers came from as far west as Omaha, Nebraska, as well as neighboring states like Wisconsin and Missouri.

Mike Turner, a Kansas City volunteer associated with several relief organizations, including ITDRC, Samaritan’s Purse It is Rubicon Teamhas been parked in Greenfield since Tuesday, May 28th.

“Even though I live three hours away, I work hand in hand with people,” Turner said. “You really feel like you’re part of the community and it’s always a great place to come back and visit and see how the rebuilding process is going.”

Christina Bettini, who helps coordinate volunteer efforts alongside Lane, said communities that faced similar tornado recovery also pitched in.

“We’ve been getting a lot of people from Winterset or even Parkersburg where other people have been hit by a tornado or disaster,” she said.

Winterset was hit by a EF4 tornado in March 2022, which ran along Carver Road on the south side of town. Winterset is half an hour from Greenfield.

More: Greenfield tornado damaged and destroyed at least 153 homes in Iowa in approximately one minute

A hometown elevator

Local volunteers are also showing up to support community members.

“I helped the neighbors at my family’s house. We were moving things around and looking for salvageable things,” said Courtney Bax of Greenfield. “We were there last night going through the clothes we found and stuff. Wherever they tell us to go, I’ve been helping.”

More: Funeral services to begin soon for Greenfield tornado victims

Bax was joined by Aleca Viera, from Fontanelle, on Saturday, helping to clear a farm full of debris. Viera is a longtime Adair County resident and saw an opportunity to help his neighbors.

“I grew up here so I have connections with a lot of people who have lost their things and it’s nice to try to do something to help,” Viera said. “The feeling of watching it on TV and being so far away was so helpless.”

Greenfield still needs additional volunteers to help with recovery. The local volunteer intake center is located in the Cardinal IG Company parking lot and can be reached at 515-561-3744.

Organizations or individuals in need of volunteers are encouraged to contact Volunteer Iowa at 641-631-6555.

“This will be a long process,” Turner said. “But any little thing I can do to help, whether it’s delivering meals or taking trash to the curb for a homeowner, is a little better than nothing.”

More information about cleanup and volunteer opportunities in Greenfield can be found on the website Iowa State website.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Contact him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared in the Des Moines Register: Devastated Greenfield sees influx of volunteers after tornado