Volunteer groups and Greenfield natives have spent the past week and a half clearing streets and roads to improve access into the city of Greenfield, after a deadly, EF-4 tornado ripped through many families' homes last Tuesday.
Clean-up and recovery efforts from the American Red Cross and FEMA have helped supply residents with food and water, while other Iowans have traveled across state to offer their homes, rescue trapped pets and coordinate insurance benefits.
On Saturday, dozens of residents got a different type of help from one of their neighbors: Gary Freeland.
Freeland lost his home in the tornado. He said he and his relatives had climbed into a 3x3 square of concrete walls inside his home guarded by a "flimsy door." Freeland recalled them trying to get his brother-in-law out of the bathroom and into a safer position.
While in the basement Freeland's phone lit up with a text message saying: "I hear things are bad there, I'm praying for you."
That message gave Freeland faith and confidence he and his family were being watched over, as the tornado went right above their house. Once they felt the storm break contact with their property, the family eventually made their way outside, but where the roof was supposed to be covering their home, no longer covered the Freeland house. Instead, they opened the door to their garage and saw the sky clouded with severe weather.
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