Tiny Minden, Iowa, riddled with debris after tornado smashes through town Friday

MINDEN, Iowa — Drivers trying to pass through this small southwestern Iowa town Saturday morning were being redirected as workers tried to clean up wholesale debris left behind from Friday’s devastating tornado that smashed through the community.

Many houses, cars and trees in the town of about 600 have been destroyed, with reports of the residents being displaced after the tornado.

Access to the town was shut off Saturday because of the destruction. However, no fatalities have been reported.

Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Agency officials said there have been no shelters set up as of Saturday morning and most who have been displaced have likely found shelter with family and friends.

More: 'Large and extremely dangerous' tornadoes sweep across Iowa. Minden hit hard.

For Austin Ehlers, a firefighter in Persia, a city just about 15 minutes away from Minden, the tornado demolished his grandfather’s home.

“He lives just outside of Minden, right in the path where the tornado took,” Ehlers said. “After we cleared everything in Persia, we hopped in the trucks and went to Minden and helped. I found out my grandpa’s house was completely gone, and he’s basically lost everything.”

Ehlers’ family is still reeling, figuring out how they will move forward after the loss.

“This morning it was just trying to figure where you start with something this bad,” Ehlers said. “You just look at it and you don’t even know where to start. We got to make sure everyone is safe, get a good game plan and worry about everything else after that.”

Despite Ehlers’ grandfather’s house being destroyed, his grandfather was uninjured in the tornado, he said.

“He told me he just got into the basement and was getting ready to shut the door when all his windows shattered and glass was hitting him in the back,” Ehlers said. “It was close. Real close.”

Check back for further updates on this breaking story.

José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register. Reach him at jmendiola@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Minden, Iowa, tornado shuts down city, homes destroyed