POST FALLS — Within hours of a tornado destroying more than 150 homes and killing four people in Greenfield, Iowa, Amanda Alden was headed there on a plane to help her younger sister and her family.

What the Post Falls woman saw left her with nightmares.

“It was awful, absolutely brutal,” Alden said. “It was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

The powerful May 21 twister ripped through the community of 2,000 in minutes and left behind a trail of destruction, including the home of Haley Williams, Alden’s sister.

When her mom, LeAnn McVay, called to tell her the tornado had hit Greenfield, Alden didn’t know for nearly an hour if her sister, her two sons and her fiance survived.

They did, but the home they bought just months prior, their vehicles and property were turned into a mess of debris and broken dreams. 

One minute they were planning for a wedding and the next they and their six dogs were taking shelter in their basement, trying to hold the door closed, and praying they would live through it.

Alden said her sister is struggling to deal with the aftermath and the array of problems that have resulted from the tornado, which hit the family physically, mentally and emotionally. 

"She’s trying to put her life together because it’s in a million pieces,” Alden said. “They lost everything."

Williams' sons are ages 7 and 4.

"She is trying to be the rock through all this,” Alden said. “She wants to be strong for them.”

Dealing with insurance, filling out forms, trying to decide what to do, where to live, how to start over, has been incredibly stressful for the family, said Alden, who spent four days in Greenfield, comforting her sister and doing what she could to ease their struggles.

For now, the family is living in a small camper they bought and placed in Alden’s parents’ backyard.

“Just to figure out the next step, it’s been hard," Alden said.

Alden said she and her sister are best friends and are always there for each other. She started a GoFundMe campaign that has raised $2,115 toward its goal of $10,000.

“We’re just so thankful they’re all safe because at the end of the day, we can always rebuild, but if you can, please help,” Alden wrote.

    Haley Williams holds one of her dogs that survived the May 21 tornado in Iowa.
  

    A truck rests on its side at the property of Haley Williams in Greenfield, Iowa after a May 21 tornado hit the area.
  

    Flags stand planted in the ground near the home of Haley Williams in in Greenfield, Iowa.