Daniel W. Holst

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(Article) Derecho Ravages Large Swaths of the Midwest

Dan Holst

The morning light glowed among the trees. A gentle breeze fluttered between the leaves. Dog walkers kept pace with energetic canines sniffing treasures left behind by their partners in crime. Parents cleaned the yards while kids kicked balls and chased each other around the trees. A cat or two peeked out of windows aching to hunt the safari. Idyllic, quaint, and the Norman Rockwell of some picturesque America that has really never existed. No heat would burn this canvas. No water would dilute its colors, yet the derecho was coming.

Clouds swept over the neighborhoods. A growing darkness pushed families inside. The winds died. It was the premonitory calm. A welcomed chill shivered the trees on the heels of a growing breeze. Ominous whispers intensified. And intensified. A voice turned into a howling and called and shouted through the trees, and the trees replied. They whipped their branches around in a game of tether ball. Cracks and booms echoed everywhere. But it was no fork of lightning. Branches broke in a bang. Trunks cracked and splintered. Foundations failed and suddenly the landscape changed. Our landscape broke apart.

We emerged safely, mostly. Glancing upwards we saw tendrils of the derecho still lashing out. But it was passing. Yet nature and her glory have indelibly shown us its mastery. The derecho ravaged all communities within its path.

For those who might not have heard. On August 10, 2020, a unique storm called a derecho (see sidebar) swept across Iowa inflicting serious damage. Its winds gusted up to the equivalent of a category 2 or 3 hurricane, that is at least 96 miles per hour and upward. Some gusts are believed to have been around 120 miles per hour. It is also the equivalent of an F1 to F2 tornado.

Damage is still being evaluated. The USDA estimates the storm damaged around 3.57 million acres of corn and 2.5 million acres of soybeans. Repairs to infrastructure, homes, businesses, and farms will lift the total cost well over 4 billion dollars.

The storm left some 200,000 without power. Large swaths of utility poles fell flat. Yet more collapsed under shattered trees. Some regained power within a day or two, but many were left powerless for up to two weeks. Utility crews from across the nation came to help, yet the recovery takes time. Too much time. It is a sad time for those in the storm’s wake.

Spoiled food fills garbage bins. Fish have choked on the illegal dumping of spoiled milk. Piles of broken trees line the streets. No corner of society or nature has been spared.

Yet for all this, we will recover. We will rebuild. That is our nature.