A tornado touched down just west of Pleasant Hill around 9 p.m. Friday, April 26, sweeping across town, injuring one and damaging nearly 20 homes.

Pleasant Hill Fire Department Chief Jamie Xayavong told reporters at an 11 a.m. news conference Saturday that the injury was not life-threatening, though the 18 damaged homes were no longer inhabitable.

The tornado is believed to have touched down near the intersection of Parkridge Avenue and E Oakwood Drive and headed east, toppling several trees and power lines along the way.

Xayavong said storm damage has been reported as far east as NE 80th Street.

The fire chief did not know how strong the tornado was, though it left several other homes with moderate or minor damage. She indicated that more damage reports could come in as recovery continues.

None of the misplaced residents needed emergency shelter, Xayavong said.

More: Tiny Minden, Iowa, riddled with debris after tornado smashes through town Friday

Clean-up efforts continue

At the height of the storm, Kathryn Kunert, of MidAmerican Energy, more than 10,000 customers in the metro were without power.

Kunert said the 390 or so customers still without power are expected to have service restored around 6 p.m.

Given the extensive number of downed power lines and debris in Pleasant Hill, Xayavong encouraged residents to stay out of the area.

Xayavong said people had come from as far away as Granger to assist Pleasant Hill.

“We needed the resources to check houses,” she said.

She did not yet know the status of school on Monday in Pleasant Hill.

More: ‘Large and extremely dangerous’ tornadoes sweep across Iowa. Minden hit hard.

Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: A tornado swept through Pleasant Hill. Here’s what we know: