DALLAS CENTER, Iowa — Shane Boston of Dallas Center was at work Tuesday morning when a call came in from local authorities, notifying him that his horses had gotten loose.
Boston then learned from his sister-in-law that they were right. A barn on his property with several horses inside had been taken out by a tornado, which touched down shortly after 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.
“I can see it from quite a ways away, and I could see what was missing as I came up [to the house]," Boston said. "I felt really, pretty blessed that we had what we had left and really no damage.”
It’s the first time Boston and his family have seen any storm damage on their property since moving to Dallas Center, but long before then, he says the same barns on the property were hit.
"That barn was hit like in 1977... if you go in that barn, about half the rafters are new," he pointed out.
Boston also recalled his father-in-law's property, just a few miles away, being damaged by a tornado in 2005.
Despite the damage, Boston is grateful that his horses are okay and that no one was home when the tornado touched down.
"Most things in life are about attitude, and I feel like I'm the luckiest guy alive," he said. "I feel funny that I'm gonna be overwhelmed about losing a barn.
The community quickly rallied around Boston and his family, joining the city's road department in cleaning up the damage.