Tornado hits boy scout campers in Iowa

4 dead after likely tornado hits Boy Scout camp
The Associated Press
10:48 p.m. ET 6/11/108

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A spokeswoman for Iowa Homeland Security says at least four people were killed and 40 injured when a tornado struck a western Iowa Boy Scout camp.

Iowa Homeland Security spokeswoman Julie Tack says a search and rescue team has been deployed to the camp near Little Sioux in Harrison County. She says the camp is covered with debris and downed trees after the tornado hit about 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Iowa Scout Master George McMullen tells The Weather Channel the camp got a tornado warning at least 12 minutes before it hit. He says the campers were gathered into a shelter, but the tornado hit the shelter. McMullen says the camp was virtually destroyed.

Tack says there were 93 campers and 25 staff members at the camp. The campers were between 13 and 18 years old and were attending a leadership training camp.

“They were considered some of the best in the area,” Tack said.

At least 40 people who were injured in the storm were being taken to area hospitals.

The 1,800 acre ranch is about 40 miles north of Omaha, Neb. Its amenities include hiking trails through narrow valleys and over steep hills, a 15-acre lake and a rifle range.

The tornado touched down as Iowa’s eastern half grappled with flooding in several of its major cities. The storm threatened to stretch Iowa’s emergency response teams even further.

Tack said officials were confident that the state’s emergency response teams could handle the crisis because western Iowa had been largely unaffected by the recent flooding.

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