Iowa trooper survives tornado in car, patches window and continues helping victims

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Iowa Trooper survived tornado in car, 'I had a pretty strong relationship with God at that point'

Iowa State Trooper Dustin Pieken tells FOX Weather what it was like having to shelter in his patrol car as a tornado roared overhead. He then made quick repairs and drove to a decimated town to help other victims.

MINDEN, Iowa – Friday was a terrifying evening for one Iowa state trooper when his cruiser was battered by a tornado, but he didn't let that stop him. He patched up the car with whatever he could find and rushed to help others hit by the twister.

"Trooper Dustin Pieken found himself trapped in a whirlwind of tornado debris that crashed through his patrol car window near Minden," the Iowa State Patrol posted on social media. "With remarkable creativity, he cleverly utilized whatever was nearby in order to continue through his night shift, supporting the victims of the catastrophic tornado."

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An Iowa State Trooper made quick repairs to his car after it was battered by a tornado.

(Iowa State Patrol / FOX Weather)

The twister tore roofs off homes, splintered trees and pushed a two-story home 20 feet from its foundation. The roof shingles, walls of homes and trees belted Pieken's car, but he was fortunate enough to lose only one window. As you can see from the photo, others did crack.

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Damage left behind after a tornado swept through Minden, Iowa on April 26, 2024. Take a look at the brick foundation in the foreground and the house blown off it in the background.

(Brandy Campbell / FOX Weather)

According to the ISP's Facebook page, Pieken rummaged through the trunk before the wind even died down and found plastic sheeting, tape and cardboard to patch up the damage, just enough to limp into Minden, the town that took a direct hit. He went door to door checking on people.

"Happy you are OK. Thank you for carrying on taking care of the storm victims," read responses from thankful residents. "You are a hero!"

Another tornado survivor in the town was Minden Mayor Kevin Zimmerman. He broke down during a press conference with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. She had to take over FOX Weather's question about the damage compared to the last violent tornado to roll through the town in 1976.

"Let me tell you, I got a guy here that's a mayor that had his home impacted and two or three businesses in the community, who's gone through it twice," Reynolds said. "So not only is he managing the community, but he's dealing with personal loss too, with his business."

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

01:55

See the tornado that FOX Weather meteorologist called, ''biggest wedge tornado I have ever seen.'

FOX Weather's Nick Kosir said, "That is the biggest wedge tornado I have ever seen." "When I first saw this video, I though this was a shelf cloud coming down and then I realized the whole thing was rotating and that was an entire tornado."

About 180 homes in the town were damaged, and about 40% of them were destroyed.

"We lost about every building in town for the business part of it, and our water tower stood," Zimmerman said. "But we can't pump water right now into it, so we're running off generators."

The governor issued a disaster proclamation. 

Several people were hurt, and FOX Weather is working to verify any fatalities. 

The mayor credited the early warning system for giving the town time to take shelter.

On Saturday, the town had so many volunteers to help with clean up and repairs that officials had to turn some away.

"I hope they understand," said the mayor. "We just don't have the space for everybody."