BlackHeartGoldPants and I are teaming up, in a way, to help fellow Iowans affected by Sunday evening's tragic storms. I was just five miles away from one of the tornadoes as they struck Northeast Iowa, so Sunday's storms literally hit close to home.

So, if you want to help out, please consider donating to the Hawkeye Chapter of the Red Cross. The cities of Parkersburg, New Hartford, Dunkerton, Fairbank and Hazleton were all affected by the first EF5 tornado to hit Iowa since the 1970s. The tornado weakened to EF2 by the time it hit Dunkerton, before strengthening to EF3 in Hazleton.

Pictures and videos of the massive storm have been all over the newspapers and networks. Any little bit will go to help those who have had their lives changed forever by nature's fury.