ELDORA - A freak hail storm and high winds blasted Eldora and surrounding communities Sunday.

At least 11 people from Eldora were sent to hospitals in Grundy Center and Iowa Falls, said Eldora City Administrator Patrick Ian Rigg.

He said none of the injuries are life-threatening. They include cuts and bruises.

Paramedics treated a number of other people at the scene, and their injuries didn't warrant further medical care, Rigg said.

The storm ripped through Hardin and Grundy counties before noon, shattering windows and shredding siding. Exposed homes and businesses then suffered additional damage from torrential rains.

"Most of our buildings have hail or wind damage," Rigg said.

Across the town, residents were covering broken windows with plywood and clearing tree limbs and leftover hail.

"I was shoveling leaves. I've never done that before," said Jill Hollander of Steamboat Rock, who was in Eldora fixing up a home she is selling on contract.

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver issued an emergency disaster proclamation for Hardin County by the end of the day.

Rigg said the whole town is without power, and the Red Cross set up an emergency shelter at South Hardin High School on the edge of town. He said a backup generator was brought in to power the shelter.

As of 8 p.m., the shelter had fed about 50 people and four had checked in to sleep there overnight, said Mary Dooley, executive director of the Iowa Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross.

She said those seeking a place to stay included a family whose apartment windows were blown out of the storm, Dooley said. She said the family's car also had its windshield damaged, so they used transportation provided by the city to travel to the high school.

"We will be prepared to keep the shelter running as long as it's needed," Dooley said.

Beginning today, volunteers wishing to assist with the recovery efforts are asked to go to the Hardin County Fairgrounds in Eldora.

Windows were also blown out at the Hardin County Courthouse, City Hall and the elementary and junior high schools in town. A water tank that is part of the city's filtration system was punctured, but Rigg said the damage isn't hurting the city's ability to deliver water.

The worst damage came from a brick chimney on the American Legion Hall that toppled in heavy winds. The plummeting masonry knocked out part of the roof and littered the rear parking lot and alley with bricks.

"It just blew over," said John Elacqua, who owns Elacqua's Broken Tee restaurant behind the Legion hall.

Elacqua said the falling chimney broke though the roof of long-vacant apartments.

Sheriffs departments from neighboring counties helped with controlling traffic in Eldora, Grundy County Sheriff Rick Penning said.

"I haven't seen damage like this since Parkersburg," he said.

Just outside of town, at Pine Lake State Park, a busy weekend of camping was disrupted by the storm. The park was full Sunday when the storm hit, severely damaging a number of vehicles.

Kevin Anderson, who was camping at the nearby Pine Ridge Park outside of Steamboat Rock, said he was surprised by the amount of damage. Anderson and his wife visited the park shortly after the storm hit Pine Lake Sunday.

"It looked like an atomic bomb hit Pine Lake," he said.

The ground was so heavily covered with hailstones that it looked like winter, campers said. At Pine Ridge, some golf-ball-sized hail and heavy rain fell, but the campers were spared from the worst of it because the park's in a valley, campers said.

Sheriff's deputies blocked off the entrance to the park from both the north and south Sunday. Many campers and trucks were destroyed by the storm.

"They were just plastered with hail," Penning said.

Grundy Center's damage was limited to downed tree limbs and power lines, said Patrolman Terry Oltman with the Grundy Center Police Department. He said a small building at the golf course was destroyed, as was a storage building on the north edge of town.

Penning said the Grundy Center area received hail nearly the size of a golf ball in diameter.

Oltman said there was also major street flooding that quickly subsided.

He said there were no injuries reported in town.

The governor's proclamation allows the Department of Public Safety and Iowa Department of Transportation to assist local emergency management officials.

The governor's office said public safety officers are assisting local authorities and the Department of Transportation is helping with debris removal. Officials with the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management also assisted.

The proclamation also activates the state's individual disaster assistance program, which helps people with low incomes. A variety of expenses are covered, including home repair, replacement of appliances and temporary housing.

Officials stressed that this is a reimbursement program. Eligible residents should keep receipts to document the expenses they incurred as a result of the storm.

Rigg said assistance has poured in from numerous law enforcement and fire agencies in Hardin and neighboring counties.

"Their help has been tremendous. It was a very good response," Rigg said.

Sunday's storms capped off a soggy weekend. Waterloo recorded an additional 0.69 inches of rain Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 2.5 inches of rain fell Friday through Sunday.