Cleanup begins after Wednesday night storm

MARION – High winds left George and Margaret Ludlow's house a mess.

“We were downstairs in the lower bathroom and I felt the whole house shake,” said Margaret Ludlow.

In the heart of Wednesday night's storm, a tree landed on top of their home. It smashed through the roof and into their bedroom.

“It landed on my bed,” Margaret Ludlow said.

The tree was so large the impact buckled the entire garage. Several other rooms were also damaged.

Neighbor David Dunning saw the whole thing happen.

“We went running around the house pounding on the windows because you couldn't get in the doors, you couldn't get into them and we finally got them to come out of the shower where they were at and we found out they were okay,” Dunning said.

Up the road, the Petersen's were also okay.

They're taking the day to start picking up the mess. With nine trees and their power line knocked down, they know it could take a while.

“Days, days, possibly weeks, this place is a mess,” Brian Petersen said.

It was a mess that, in the wake of the storm, both Brian Petersen and the Ludlow's were left simply looking at. But Thursday, that was something they were thankful for.

“Just glad to be alive and be able to move on with my life,” Margaret Ludlow said.

Power crews were also busy cleaning up around Linn County. At the height of the storm about 5,800 homes across Eastern Iowa were without power.