Hills marks one year after the tornado

Hills, Iowa – On Sunday, the village of Hills in Eastern Iowa was affected by a tornado outbreak that occurred a year ago.

On March 31, 2023, there was a broad tornado outbreak that involved about 150 tornadoes nationwide, according to the National Weather Service.

“It came in from the west and hit kind of the new properties that had been built over there. Damaged severely 13 homes, one was completely destroyed,” said Hills Mayor Tim Kemp.

He added, “The city had close to $100,000 in damages to our property. So you know, if you multiply that out over other properties, you would think maybe we’re close to a million dollars in damage.”

After a year, the majority of the damage is still unnoticeable.

“I think just about everybody is done with whatever work they needed to repair,” said Kemp.

The street in Hills with the most damage was where Aaron Last resided. He claimed that while repairs were being completed, he and his wife had to vacate their house for around half a year.

“It ended up being somewhere around, somewhere between like 70 or $80,000 of damage,” he said.

Last and Kemp both said that the storm had no lasting effects and that there were neither fatalities nor significant injuries.

“I think we’ve kind of put that in the past. We’re moving on,” said Kemp.

Last but not least, even if the town has moved on, many still remember.

“I think people will remember it for a while. The people who’re still around and everything will remember it for a while,” he said.