GREENFIELD, Iowa — It's been two weeks of rebuilding Greenfield after a deadly EF-4 tornado.
While a lot of progress has been made, it's the people who are first to lend a hand that now need help themselves.
The Greenfield Fire Department’s only station has been condemned and deemed unsafe to use, according to firefighter T.J. Oder.
He was at the station when the tornado hit. The tornado ran through town less than a minute after firefighters took shelter in the station’s basement.
“It was just really loud," Oder remembered. "You’re just standing there in the dark, wondering if you’re going to be able to get out…what’s going to be left."
Walls blew in, windows broke and the roof was torn up. The department's gear is so badly damaged it's unusable.
Despite it all, the fire department is in full operation in a new location: a farm building. Firefighter Jared Masker says all it took was one call to a local farmer for help.
“Immediately, they pulled out semis and rearranged their farm equipment and, it wasn’t even a question for them, they just let us move right in," he said.
Other fire departments helped too. One department let Greenfield firefighters borrow gear and multiple other departments stepped up to the plate while the Greenfield department out of operation.
Unfortunately, the station isn’t the only damage Greenfield firefighters are dealing with.
Four members lost their homes. Oder and Masker were two of them.
“When I first rolled up to my house, there was nothing but a basement left. My house got picked up and turned and put on top of my neighbor’s house," Masker said.
“When I finally got to my house, it was still partially standing. The roof was gone. Insurance unfortunately deemed it unlivable so it’s gone now," Oder said.
Masker lost his car washing business too.
Loved ones and volunteer groups have been helping them pick up the pieces.
Masker tells Local 5 that the community’s response to the storm speaks to the spirit of a small town.
“Just seeing them do everything in their power, whether it’s money, clothes, toys, anything that they can donate or give to someone, they gave and I think, if the roles were reversed, we’d do the same," he said.
Greenfield’s firefighters say the only thing that’s changing is their location. They will continue to serve the community like they always have.
The Greenfield Fire Foundation is raising money to rebuild the station and help the four members who lost their homes. You can donate by mailing a check to PO Box 146 in Greenfield or writing a check to the foundation and dropping it off at Greenfield’s First National Bank.