MADISON COUNTY, Iowa – An Iowa man is being remembered as a hero for sacrificing his life to save his wife when a tornado hit their home in Iowa on Saturday.
Judy and Rodney Clark were in their Madison County, Iowa, home when the EF-4 tornado made a direct hit, KCCI reported. The couple were hiding in a bathtub and were thrown 100 feet before landing in a pile of rubble, the station reported.
The tornado was on the ground for nearly 70 miles when it touched down, leaving the largest path of destruction since a tornado in 1984 that went 117 miles, The Associated Press reported.
Judy survived the tornado, but Rodney was killed. Their family told KCCI that Rodney had been lying on top of his wife in the bathtub in an effort to shield her from any impact, likely saving her life.
“He laid on top of her and held her close and pretty much saved her life,” Jase Brumfild, the Clarks’ grandson, told KCCI. “I just knew that that was him. That was something that he would definitely do.”
A GoFundMe set up to raise money for Judy raised more than $12,000 in three days. Her family told KCCI she hopes to rebuild the couple’s destroyed home.
Seven people were killed in the storms that hit central Iowa on Saturday, the AP reported.
