A year later, local leaders recount fortune, unity in wake of Johnson County tornadoes
Editor's Note: This is the first in a short series recounting the March 31, 2023 tornadoes and their impact on Johnson County.
A year has passed since two small tornadoes descended on Johnson County, ravaging and destroying homes in Coralville and Hills, downing power lines, and displacing families.
A March 31, 2023 storm system produced two tornadoes in Johnson County categorized as EF-2, the fourth-highest rating on the Fujita Scale, a measurement system that assesses tornadoes. The tornadoes also produced strong winds that reached an estimated 125 miles per hour.
Twenty-nine tornadoes were documented in eastern Iowa and western Illinois, recorded tornadoes alone, a record for the area stretching at least as far back as 1950 when the Quad Cities National Weather Service office first started recording tornado information.
The storm system produced 147 tornadoes nationwide between March 31 and April 1, the third most in a 24-hour period.
Coralville tornado produced intense winds, damage but true catastrophe averted
The devastation could've been worse.
The twister narrowly missed the Coral Ridge Mall and a senior living community.
“I think the word I use over and over is, ‘fortunate,’” Johnson County Emergency Management Director Dave Wilson said.
Wilson was in the emergency response center last March, helping coordinate a storm response with law enforcement and fire departments.
The tornado that struck Coralville was on the ground for about 17 miles. It touched down a few miles southwest of Highway 218, first knocking down a 495-foot radio tower in a farm field before rolling through Coralville near the heavily populated Highway 6 "strip."
More: A week after tornadoes, displaced Johnson County victims anxious to return home
“Anytime you can avoid hitting a mall or retirement facility is a good day,” Wilson said. “The one in Coralville, if it had tracked a little bit left, it could have hit the mall. If it had tracked a little bit right, it would have hit a retirement facility.”
The tornado crossed Interstate 80 and intensified as it moved toward the Coralville Reservoir. It eventually rolled into downtown Solon, ripping off the roof of a hardware store.
Most residents discovered that they were without power as they emerged from shelter. Some were also missing significant portions of their homes, while others had lost only a few shingles from their roofs.
In total, 53 homes and nearly 300 structures suffered damage in just 20 minutes.
Fortunately, Wilson said, zero fatalities and very few injuries were reported after the storm.
Then, families wondered, “What’s next?”
More: 'Where are my kids going to stay?': Storm damage leaves some Coralville families homeless
Hills tornado tears through small community
Five minutes after the tornado touched down in Coralville, a second tornado formed near the small community of Hills, roughly 10 miles to the south.
Hills was in the path of the tornado no less than a mile or two after it had formed.
The tornado destroyed three homes and damaged many others. Roofs were sheared off, siding was peeled off and several large trees tumbled.
The tornado continued on a northwest path for nearly 15 miles, almost parallel to the Coralville tornado. The Hills tornado blew through forests and caused minor damage to homes in the southeast side of Iowa City.
More: How Graze Gourmet To-Go became the unexpected player for University of Iowa athletics
Clean-up efforts bring the community together
Emergency crews hit the streets immediately on March 31, 2023, helping clear debris and care for the injured.
Restoration began quickly.
“A lot of the folks that I talked to were, a little shocked, a little bit rattled, but there was a good sense of community,” Coralville Mayor Meghann Foster told the Press-Citizen this week.
Foster’s home wasn't damaged but she joined other local government officials when the sun rose the next day.
“Everybody was cleaning up. Everybody was looking out for each other,” she said. “That was a really nice thing to see after such a serious incident.”
Foster said smaller sections of the community, like hard-hit families who attend Kirkwood Elementary, rallied around each other to create fundraisers.
A GoFundMe page raised $35,000 for Iowa City West High boys' soccer coach Brad Stiles, whose home was hit hard by the storm.
Local businesses asked Foster where they could help. Those efforts, she said, embodied who Coralville residents are.
“This is a generous community,” Foster said. “We look out for each other and I have a lot of gratitude for that.”
More: A week after tornado, Wellman family looks back on father, daughters', remarkable survival
County, city were prepared to respond
Wilson and local officials were vigilant in their preparation as severe storms loomed ahead of March 31.
As the morning arrived, there was little question whether the county would experience severe storms. The National Weather Service issued a severe weather risk rating of five, which is typically reserved for “a severe weather outbreak …expected from either numerous intense and long-tracked tornadoes or a long-lived derecho-producing thunderstorm complex that produces hurricane-force wind gusts and widespread damage.”
That alert initiated an all-hands-on-deck response by area police and fire departments. Local power companies, like MidAmerican Energy prepared to restore power for thousands of residents.
“I think we were fortunate that we had a lot of warning,” Wilson said. “We had time to ramp up and be prepared. We had personnel to immediately respond.
We were able to open the shelter facilities early that you can and we're able to get people either in a transitional housing or long-term housing that weekend and into the following week.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Leaders recall fortune, unity in wake of 2023 Johnson County tornadoes
