WINTERSET, Iowa — Congresswoman CIndy Axne, represents the Third District in Iowa. Last Saturday night an EF-4 tornado dropped out of the sky and demolished parts of central Iowa. Six people were killed in Winterset, and there was another death at Red Haw State Park near Chariton.

Just devastating obviously and in Iowa we’re very used to hiding somewhere from a tornado,” said Axne. “To see the destruction that this tornado has created, to see families that were literally just ripped out of their homes, and the homes just thrown back down, I can’t imagine how frightened they were.”

Axne said there is coordination at the local and state level to assure that people get signed up for any federal emergency funds, they may be entitled to.

Working on that right now obviously working with the churches and the folks, who are working to get people into the system so that we can work with FEMA to take care of this,” said Axne “I’m also working to see why we had a delay from the national weather service not here locally, but from the National Weather Service in in a delay in getting this notification, so minutes count.”

Also the need for volunteers to come to Winterset will continue.

We have a need for some big machinery but then there’s a need for people to see her two hands in a heart to help,” said Alissa Johnson, a volunteer and member of the Madison County Chamber Board. “I think come on down there’s stuff you can do all the time there’s a lot there’s a lot to do it’s gonna take forever.”

 Diogenes Ayala, the Emergency Management Coordinator, of Madison County said cleanup volunteers would work Saturday, and take Sunday off.

“Doesn’t mean volunteers can’t go out and do their own thing, but we will coordinate to sync up and see what we have to do for next week,” said Ayala.