Sunday marked the one month anniversary since Central Iowa was hit by devastating tornadoes. The tornadoes caused extensive damage to many areas, including Marshalltown.
Thanks to clean up efforts, much of the debris is gone but recovery for homes and businesses will take months.
In the meantime, one woman is using her artistic skills to heal the scars. Linda Harvey, a local resident, and several other volunteers are using knitted afgans, old sweaters, and other fabrics to decorate the community.
“I just felt like there wasn’t much I could do, but maybe uplift spirits by putting a little color, and something else into the community that they could be proud of.” Said Harvey.
Every single item is hand sewn together and Harvey says it is well worth the twelve hours per tree to lift the spirits of the community.
Jerri Lavender, a Marshalltown Resident said, “When we find little pieces of hope like they we say hey people still know we’re going through this.”
The city is slowly rebuilding and long term obstacles like repairing roofs, sidings and garages before winter are now a priority.
But for Harvey and her volunteers, they hope even a quick drive by will give them strength through their recovery together.
