At least seven people were killed in Iowa after powerful tornadoes tore through the central part of the state on Saturday night. The devastating storms proved costly for one Iowa family, with four of its members passing away because of the deadly tornado.
Melissa Bazley's family was huddled together in the pantry of their home in Iowa when the tornado razed by their property. With the grandparents' home near rural Winterset having no basement, the family was at the mercy of the strong tornado.
Unfortunately, the 63-year-old Bazley did not survive the storm. She died alongside her 37-year-old son-in-law Michael Bolger and two of her grandchildren, 5-year-old Kinlee Bolger and 2-year-old Owen Bolger.
Kuri Bolger survives the storm alongside her oldest son
Family members said Kuri Bolger managed to survive the storm alongside her 8-year-old son. The grandfather and uncle of the children also escaped death, but all of them were injured because of the storm. A GoFundMe page has been created for the Bolger and Bazley families to help them during this time of need.
According to Lynn Larson, her daughter-in-law Kuri underwent surgery on Monday to repair damage in her leg. Kuri will undergo another surgery on her arm to repair her broken bones in the coming days. Larson relayed some good news, though, with her oldest grandson already released from the hospital after getting treatment for his wounds.
Larson was emotional when talking to reporters, saying, "I just can't describe how wonderful Mike was. Everybody loved him. It just rips your heart out. My grandchildren were wonderful. They were just the light of my life." Larson added that the family is devastated by the tragedy that struck them.
As per Des Moines Register, Kuri and Michael Bolger traveled to Iowa from Missouri with their three children to visit her mother, Melissa. Unfortunately for the family, their visit came at the worst possible time, with an EF-4 tornado hitting Bazley's community.
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3 more people killed by powerful Iowa tornadoes
Two other people who lived in homes just down the street from Bazley's house were also killed by the tornado that, according to the National Weather Service, had peak winds of 274 kph (170 mph). The 72-year-old Cecilia Lloyd and 64-year-old Rodney Clark succumbed to injuries after the tornado hit, which was on the ground for nearly 113 kilometers (70 miles). That was the longest path of destruction by a tornado since 1984.
The seventh death came from Lucas County, which is about 87 kilometers (54 miles) southeast of Des Moines in Iowa. The tornado that struck this community was different from the one that tore through Bazley's place, with this particular storm hitting an hour later. It still was damaging with 40-year-old Jesse Theron Fisher, the casualty in this part of Iowa.
The storms that tore through Iowa on Saturday were the deadliest to happen in the state since May 2008, when one tornado killed nine people and destroyed nearly 300 homes in the city of Parkersburg.
