The winds of misfortune blew through Iowa City last night in the form of a tornado. Our lives, Jim and myself, were touched in a most impersonal way. The tornado destroyed a building we own as income property. It tore off the roof and the building is not salvageable. The insurance adjusters will come and write a check and that will be the end of it. Things got much more personal for a renter. He was in a second story office when the tornado came and took the roof from over his head. He came through without harm. I'll bet he didn't sleep well last night.



Our friends Leon and Margaret also dodged a big bullet. The tornado passed across the street from their house. They were home and are, thankfully, safe.

There were many more who were not so lucky. So many homes and businesses were destroyed. Thirty were physically harmed. Luckily none were killed here in Iowa City.

It is such a strange feeling to have something so devastating happen in the community. It is a feeling that is very hard to pinpoint. People by the thousands wandered by the destruction all day long, looking at the damage and the cleanup. I've never seen so many people out and about in the city. We were all like wildebeasts, pausing to watch the lion at his kill, thankful it wasn't us, stunned and awestruck at the natural forces that are larger than each of us.