Derecho damage in Marshall County as seen on Aug. 11, 2020. Business Record file photo by Emily Blobaum

The catastrophic derecho that flattened much of Iowa happened one year ago today. Cedar Rapids and Marshalltown were among the hardest hit of Iowa’s large to midsized communities, with wind speeds reaching more than 100 mph and a gust reaching 140 mph in Cedar Rapids. Farmers’ crops were severely affected by the storm, as acres upon acres of corn fell flat in the winds.

A report later in the year showed that the Iowa derecho was the most expensive severe storm on record in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

But the storm also revealed Iowans’ willingness to help each other. “… [T]here was something even more remarkable than the storm’s destruction: the resilience and generosity exhibited in the aftermath by countless Iowans in the private and public sector alike,” Gov. Kim Reynolds wrote in a guest piece for the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “The derecho response demanded tight cooperation between state, local, and federal officials, as well as a willingness to do whatever it took to deliver relief. And all this happened during a pandemic.”

Here are a few news stories to catch up on Iowans’ recovery from the storm:

Farmers still recovering a year after historic derecho (We Are Iowa)
Kenny Lund is just one of Iowa’s hundreds of farmers who vividly remember Aug. 10, 2020: the day a historic long-lived wind storm, known as a derecho, tore across the state. Lund has been an Iowa farmer for 44 years, and says he’s never seen a storm with such intensity move across his land, which sits just a few miles south of Sheldahl. “It was tough,” Lund recalled. “Just because of what you lost. And you’d worked to get to that point, and now you’re going to have to do it all over again.”

A year after derecho, governments still deciding what they’ll do better next time (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
Now a year after the derecho, state, county and city officials still are finishing formal after-action reviews focusing on what lessons were learned and what steps should be taken to more urgently come to the aid of citizens who — days after the storm — frequently struggled to find food and gas and often shelter. Reports are expected later this month. Most experts agree a prolonged delay of an after-action review following a natural disaster can cause details of what worked and didn’t to grow stale. Moreover, governments need to be able to implement needed changes before another disaster strikes.

Lessons learned from 2018 tornado used in Marshalltown derecho recovery (Marshalltown Times-Republican)
City officials were prepared to respond to disaster after learning from the 2018 tornado. When the derecho came full force into town on Aug. 10, 2020, it was a matter of jumping to action. “We were freshly versed in how to handle these things and who to call,” said Justin Nickel, public works director. “Unfortunately the events from the tornado in 2018 had presented opportunities for us to perform these functions.” One park alone lost about 450 trees.

A year after derecho’s record-setting damage, Iowa farmers are still dealing with the aftermath (Des Moines Register)
Iowa families and businesses, the hardest hit, have filed 225,000 claims for $3 billion in damage from the storm, the Iowa Insurance Division reports. Another 18,000 claims are outstanding, the agency says. That total doesn’t include the $562 million that Iowa farmers claimed through federal insurance for damage to corn, soybeans and other crops from the derecho, drought and other extreme weather last year, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows.