Devastation in Iowa City Tonight

There are a lot of stories like yours because that '81 tornado made a path
right through BOTH cities, and a number of suburbs, too. It was a Saturday
or Sunday afternoon.

Don't recall the year, but we were getting ready for a July 4th
"Show-n-Go" drag race/ car show weekend at Brainerd Int'l Raceway, just
north of Brainerd, MN.

(Obligatory aviation content: the raceway ("BIR") is also an airport
(MY55) see: http://www.airnav.com/airport/MY55 - the 1 mile long front
straight-away/ drag strip is the runway. Just be mindful of the ~3 foot
tall (came up to about mid-thigh on me, when I was working out there,
years ago,) solid concrete crash walls along both sides for the middle
1/2 mile or so. Gives a new meaning to "keep it on the center line.")

[we join our tonado story already in progress...]
I was out checking the PA system and what not as contestants were lined
up with their cars on/ in trailers, getting registered. Bright sun
shine, but some evil looking cloud off to the west/northwest, couldn't
see too far as the tree line gets in the way. Got word that a tornado
was on the ground (I know, its redundant, its not a tornado, until it
touches down) and had messed pretty severly with a campground to the
west. Tornado warning was issued and and we started around with the
ambulance warning people in the track's camp grounds to take cover.

We got back around to the entrance road and down on to the track with
the ambulances and fire truck hundled under the spectaor bridge
crossing the track, just as it came over the trees. This was before we
learned it was bad to be under bridges and such. We just shoved people
under and around the rigs and covered up best as we could. It went over
us, just off the end of the bridge and we were picking straw (crash
barriers on some parts of teh road course) and other debris out our
hair and clothes for some time after that. Still bright and sunny, you
could call it "isolated" almost, the cell was so small.

Got the people's fingers peeled off the running boards of the
ambulance, where they were hanging on with all they had and took off
around the track to check for injuries. Well, we were just a little too
eager and we had to slow down so we wouldn't over take the tornado.
They pull over about as well as some drivers do, in response to red
lights and siren. Anyway, no injuries found. Damage wasn't too bad,
porta-potties dumped over, several thousand feet of power/
communications lines down and poles snapped off or pushed over, and the
most amazing thing - In the long line of participants lined up to
register, which was just to the north of the bridge we hid under, was a
3/4 ton (?) pickup with a flatbed trailer hauling his show car,
attached. The pickup was perfectly fine, save for the trailer hitch was
twisted 180 degrees with the trailer and car still attached, only
upside down. I'll have to see if I still have any photos around.

The next day, Saturday, races were delayed until around lunch time, so
we could get the power back in action and some of the mess cleaned up.
But the souvenier vendors were not swayed, they showed up Sunday with
those little "tornado in a jar" thingies that you swirl around and form
a little whirlpool inside "I survived the BIR Twister" - sold out, if I
remember correctly. T-Shirts showed up at the next race.

Glad to hear all of you and yours are safe and more or less sound, Jay.
Always enjoy your write ups. You should do a book someday!

Randy