Mayor Nicholas AbouAssaly: Derecho in Marion was both a dark time and our finest moment

As we observe the anniversary of the 2020 derecho, we are mindful that our work is far from finished and for many the cleanup and recovery are still ongoing.

Some residents are still displaced and many are living with damage to their homes, businesses and places of worship. Many are struggling to afford the costs of recovery or dealing with insurance claims and securing contractors to make needed repairs. Our prized urban tree canopy, now a fraction of what it was prior to the storm, will take several decades and significant private and public investment to recover. Yet, it is also fitting to reflect with gratitude on the manner in which our community came together in the immediate aftermath of the storm, the tremendous progress we’ve made in the course of one year and the lessons learned.

The derecho impacted every corner of our area and each and every individual living here. Its fury left a path of widespread destruction that damaged a majority of physical structures, impacted our lives and changed our natural environment for decades to come. Coming on top of a pandemic and other challenges we were facing at the time, the storm could have easily brought our region to its knees. But the storm proved to be no match for our community spirit and will be remembered not only as the largest natural disaster in the history of our region, but also, in many ways, as one of our finest moments.

We owe gratitude to the first responders and health care workers who took care of the needs of people, and all those who worked tirelessly in stressful conditions to restore power and communications as quickly as possible. We also owe gratitude to the public employees who managed the massive cleanup efforts despite damage to their own homes, while ensuring uninterrupted services, and the public officials and community leaders who stepped forward and did their part to shoulder the responsibility of leading and serving at a time when it was needed most.

We were blessed with leaders, organizations and volunteers who set up and staffed shelters and distribution centers, thousands of others who rolled up their sleeves to help friends and strangers alike, and a tremendous outpouring of generous donations of money, food and supplies from people and businesses despite their own hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to be blessed with people and organizations who are committed to the long-term recovery of area residents and our natural environment.

In the midst of the darkness and devastation, the unity in our community shone brightly. We found inspiration and energy in the manner in which we quickly set aside our differences and united around a common purpose and our shared humanity, demonstrating the resilience of our people and the power of community in overcoming the greatest of challenges.

There will surely be other challenges in the future that test our resolve and the strength of our community. The 2020 derecho reminded us that no challenge is too great, and no problem is unsolvable when we unite around commons goals; when we set aside our differences and reject the politics of division; when we see the best in each other and commit to working together for the common good. We are stronger, and accomplish more, together.

Nicolas AbouAssaly is mayor of Marion.