Governor hands out lifesaving awards to Parkersburg rescuers, others

DES MOINES – Gov. Chet Culver honored Iowans who helped save lives or pulled someone from harm's way Friday, including a group who rescued two people trapped in rubble when a tornado ripped through the town of Parkersburg last year.

“On behalf of the people of the state of Iowa, I simply want to say thank you for your heroism and for the example that each of you has set,” Culver told the honorees at an awards ceremony at the Iowa State Fair.

He said the common bond that unites Iowans is their commitment to serving their fellow citizens.

“The Iowans we're honoring today have truly become heroes with their brave acts,” Culver said.

The six Iowans who helped pulled a trapped man and woman from the rubble of a Parkersburg home were recipients of the governor's lifesaving award.

The group arrived at the home within minutes of the F-5 tornado hitting the town to find Dana Anderson trapped in his basement with a metal object driven into his foot.

Two men worked with a state trooper to free him and went to find his sister, Karen Anderson, who was buried in rubble on an upper level of the house. She was found alive, but was having trouble breathing.

Rescuers had to free Dana Anderson before they could remove his sister, because piles of debris around her could fall directly on him as she was pulled out.

Those honored for assisting in the Parkersburg rescue included Chad Blanchard and James Hansel of Parkersburg; Edwin Blanchard of New Hartford; Brian DeBower and Connie Reynolds of Aplington and Jesse Lamp of Grundy Center.

Reynolds is credited with saving Dana Anderson's leg and foot by applying a splint to the compound fracture and applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

“I held Dana's hand while he was extracted from the home and then held his leg from then on out of the house,” Reynolds said. Countless volunteers helped to get them out, she remembers.

Reynolds was surprised to learn she won an award for helping the Andersons.

“The fact that they're doing well today, that's reward enough for me,” Reynolds said.

The tornado on May 25, 2008, ultimately claimed the lives of six in Parkersburg and two in New Hartford.

Some of the recipients of the 23 awards handed out Friday include the following:

-- Mark Dirks of Belmond won a governor's lifesaving award for helping lead a woman and her son to safety away from a fire. Dirks was working an overnight snowplow shift when he noticed a haze filling the streets in the early morning hours of Jan. 14. He saw a garage had caught fire and smoke fumes were filling the home. He entered a home and yelled a warning, waking up Andrea Swenson and her son, Elijah. Dirks led the two and their dog, Lucy, to safety.

“I didn't really have much time to think about it – just knew what was going on and did it,” Dirks said.

-- Linda Davis of Tama was honored with a governor's lifesaving award for helping an injured motorist while she herself was injured from a traffic accident. Davis' vehicle collided with Floyd Campbell's vehicle when Campbell failed to obey a stop sign.

Davis was trapped in her vehicle after a second collision with a utility pole, but climbed out a rear window despite being injured. Campbell had been ejected from his vehicle and landed face-down and unconscious in more than a foot of water. Davis climbed down a steep ravine to help him. Although she was unable to move him, she held his head above water until first responders arrived.

“I'm just glad he survived it, and I could do what I needed to do to get the job done for him to be alive,” Davis said.