Half Of A Family Was Killed By Deadly Tornado in Winterset

[UPDATE]: Iowa tornado survivor talks about family she lost. 

When the images began to appear from Saturday night's tornado outbreak across Iowa, it was an all too familiar sight. Homes and buildings gone. Debris scattered across the countryside. But walls and roofs can be replaced. The real tragedy from this weekend's severe weather is the loss of life. One family was hit especially hard in the Iowa town of Winterset.

Eight members of a family took shelter on Saturday as the tornado approached Winterset, according to WHO. Only four would survive the storm. Two neighbors would also lose their lives that day too. Madison County authorities say that the tornado tore through homes located along Carver Road.

WHO reports that 63-year-old Melissa Bazley died when the storm struck her home. Her husband and adult son survived. However, Bazley's son-in-law, 37-year-old Mike Bolger, also died in the storm. So did two of his three children. 5-year-old Kinlee and 2-year-old Owen. His other son survived, but Bazley's daughter Kuri suffered serious injuries. The Bolgers were visiting Iowa from Blue Springs, Missouri.

Meanwhile, just down the street from the Bazleys, 64-year-old Rodney Clark and 72-year-old Cecilia Lloyd died when the tornado struck their home, according to WHO.

A fundraising page has been set up by friends and family to pay for funeral and medical expenses for the Bolger family. You can donate by visiting that page HERE.

The National Weather Service out of Des Moines says that initial wind estimates put the Madison County tornado on Saturday at EF3 level, according to KIMT. That means the storm had sustained winds of at least 136 miles per hour.