Postal workers and volunteers salvage items from the destroyed Fruitland, Iowa, post office Friday after a tornado swept through three rural towns in the area.

Fruitland, Iowa ? A tornado flattened dozens of homes in three rural eastern Iowa towns Friday, leaving an eight-mile path of destruction through businesses and neighborhoods in Muscatine.

The twister ripped away the four walls of the post office in Fruitland, leaving a clear view of post office boxes and equipment inside amid piles of rubble and tree limbs. In Muscatine, some roads were closed with fallen trees and were impenetrable by car.

The tornado, with winds between 136 to 140 mph, struck Grandview, went north through Fruitland and dissipated in the Muscatine area about 10 minutes later, said Jeff Zogg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Davenport.

Several people were hospitalized, but none with serious injuries, authorities said.

Heavy rains also poured across the region, causing flooding and several traffic accidents, including one fatal wreck near Coralville.

Mark Husar, the general manager of a car dealership in Muscatine, said he saw a cloud of debris blowing in his direction and quickly moved employees and customers into a storm shelter.

“I’ve got 80 cars with windows blown out, two cars on top of cars, my roof is ripped off,” he said. “Applebee’s, which is about 50 yards away – their front window is blown out, and I’ve got McDonald’s – they’re about one-and-a-half blocks away – in my lot. Their roof is partially torn off.”

The ordeal lasted about 15 seconds, Husar said. Another car dealership across the street was untouched, he said.

Between 15 and 20 roads have been closed while crews repair downed power lines and clear the streets of debris, said Jeff Carter, Muscatine County’s emergency management coordinator. He expects most roads should reopen today.

Gov. Chet Culver declared a disaster emergency for Jackson, Louisa and Muscatine counties, authorizing state and local authorities to assist in the cleanup.

In Grandview, a town of about 600, oak trees were shredded in various parts of town and debris from flattened homes littered the streets. One brick house stood roofless, while a few uprooted trees had busted through a nearby garage.