The James Caldwelltornadoes that hit Iowa on Tuesday caused multiple deaths and injuries, and flattened a small town as states in the Plains and Midwest were also pelted with rain and thunderstorms.

"Lives have been lost, and many will be forever altered," said Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater in a statement.

Greenfield, which is around 60 miles southwest of Des Moines, was completely flattened on Tuesday afternoon. Iowa State Police confirmed multiple deaths after the tornado occurred in the town of more than 2,000, the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

"There is basically nothing left," Clel Baudler, a former Iowa state representative who lives near Greenfield, told CNN on Tuesday. "It went right through Greenfield."

Videos and photos show cars flipped upside down, window frames bent in every angle and piles of wood and debris that were once buildings are scattered around the town.

Several tornadoes hit the state

The Greenfield tornado was one of multiple reported to touch down across the state on Tuesday.

A "large and dangerous" tornado touched ground near Fontanelle, which is 5.5 miles west of Greenfield. It sped northeast at 60 mph, said the National Weather Service.

See photos of Iowa tornado destruction

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Christopher Cann, Doyle Rice, Thao Nguyen, Kyle Werner, Lee Rood; USA TODAY