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Mayor says Iowa town damaged by tornado now open
Posted: Apr 10, 2011 11:58 AM by AP posted By James H Egbert
MAPLETON, Iowa (AP) - The small western Iowa town of Mapleton has been reopened following a tornado that the mayor estimates damaged 60 percent of the town.
Mayor Fred Standa says officials began allowing people back in about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. They had barricaded the town because of safety concerns about gas leaks and other damage.
The tornado struck the town of about 1,200 on Saturday evening. It uprooted trees, blew the roof off a school and downed power lines.
Standa estimates about 20 percent is "almost flat."
Gov. Terry Branstad will tour the damage today, and the National Weather Service has dispatched a team to do an assessment.
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