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EF-2 tornado crashes through Muscatine, dozens walk away unscathed

Six people living on the top floor of MSCA had their windows sucked out by the storm.

MUSCATINE, Iowa - 60 people were able to make it out of a Muscatine homeless shelter without a scratch during the March 6, 2017 storms.

Muscatine Center for Social Action is a non-profit corporation which helps meet the social needs of the Muscatine area. MCSA was one of many buildings damaged during the storm.

When the EF-2 tornado ripped through the area near 400 Iowa Ave. in Muscatine, it slammed through the corner part of the MSCA building, destroying dorm rooms in its path.

“At about 10:15 p.m I felt air through the window and noticed part of the window was gone and there was stuff flying at me,” remembers Kevin Oosting, who rents a dorm at MCSA. “I got up and I realized I was standing on ceiling pieces. That's what was flying around in my room, the ceiling and metal strips.”

Six other dorms on the top floor of MSCA had their windows sucked out by the storm.

“I thought the window had blown in because of all the stuff coming at me. The air pressure just pulled all the framing from the ceiling down,” added Oosting.

Contractors started patching up the building’s windows with ply wood on March 7, 2017. People who had their homes damaged from the storms were given another room to say in the center until all the damage is fixed.

No reports of injures were made.

“I can't tell you how thankful and how fortunate we are that no one even received a scratch. When you look at the damage I don't know how it happened,” said MCSA Executive Director, Charla Schafer.

MCSA says the Muscatine community has rallied behind them to recover from this storm. Dozens of agencies have offered food, supplies and their time to assist in rebuilding efforts.

MCSA was established in 1991 to make a difference in the quality of life in Muscatine. Specifically, working to address needs and services in housing, poverty, family violence, barriers to service availability, substance abuse, and discrimination.

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