U.S.: VIDEO: Mapleton, Iowa introduced to violent, barn-razing tornado
- The tornado that destroyed half a town: While nobody was seriously injured in last night’s twister in Mapleton, Iowa, if buildings were considered people, it’d be a much different story. See, this tornado flattened a grain elevator. It also tore the roof off a high school and tipped a giant motor home in its side. And the hundreds-of-years-old trees that the town was named for? They were ripped out of the ground and forced into homes and cars, emphasizing the “ton” part of the name just as much as the “maple” part. “It was huge, just huge,” said local attorney Thomas Mohrhauser. “It just kept getting bigger and bigger.” source