116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
The progress and struggle to build resilient homes in Eastern Iowa five years after the derecho
Construction continues in Cedar Rapids and Linn and Benton counties to rebuild housing damaged or lost in the 2020 derecho
Aug. 10, 2025 5:30 am, Updated: Aug. 11, 2025 7:47 am
- Five years after the 2020 derecho, construction continues in Cedar Rapids and Linn and Benton counties to rebuild housing damaged or lost.
- Federal grant funds awarded to Iowa are helping Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities replenish what was lost and build sturdier, wind-resistant and more energy-efficient homes.
- High construction costs for materials and labor, though, significantly impact developers' ability to build more resilient homes.
- More homes and funding are ultimately needed to fully address the impact of the 2020 derecho, according to local officials.
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ATKINS — Hurricane-force winds from the 2020 derecho leveled a Morton building and two other outbuildings, uprooted trees, blew off shingles, and twisted the foundation of the 1890 house off Benton Linn Road in which Rachel Pettit and her then-husband lived.
Unable to obtain insurance on the property or qualify for federal assistance to help with repairs, the couple continued living in the damaged house until 2023, when they separated.
After her husband moved out, Pettit continued living in the house alone for another year. While feeling insecure about its safety, she could not afford repairs on her own and knew she would need to sell the damaged property.
“It was very questionable on how safe it was going to be to continue to live there,” Pettit said. “… We weren't able to obtain insurance, period. We were trying to get insurance, and we had a very hard time with it. After the derecho, it was like next to impossible.”
Eventually, she was able to sell the house “as is” due to the value of the land on which it sat. Pettit, though, still faced challenges in finding a new home due to financial constraints complicated by medical bills and a divorce.
“Financially, I couldn't afford to move. You know, things were really up in the air with a lot of things,” Pettit said.
While Pettit was unable to qualify for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the 65-year-old retiree was ultimately able to obtain a mortgage and secure a new home with the help of a federally funded housing recovery program.
Today, she lives in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom energy-efficient unit with an unfinished basement, part of a duplex built in Atkins by Ralston Eco Homes.
Pettit moved into her new home in October of 2024, providing her with a sense of safety and security she had been lacking since the derecho.
“I really believe God has given me new beginnings in many, many ways,” Pettit said.
Five years after the 2020 derecho extensively damaged homes throughout Eastern Iowa, construction continues in Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities in Linn and Benton counties to replenish the housing stock that was damaged or entirely lost in the disaster.
At the same time, elevated construction costs for materials and labor significantly impact developers' ability to build more resilient homes. The pressure forces builders to rely on federal grant funds or find cost-effective alternatives, impacting the extent and quality of resilience features incorporated into new construction, according to local homebuilders.
Precise data on the number of housing units lost as a result of the derecho is hard to come by, said Paula Mitchell, housing director with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG).
“This was a regional disaster, and it is difficult to get those data points consistent across a region, especially when so many smaller communities and rural areas are impacted,” Mitchell said. “However, based on the data we do have, I would say that more homes and funding are needed to fully address the impact of the derecho. I would also note, our region had an insufficient supply of affordable housing before the derecho, so the disaster only exacerbated that shortage.”
High-impact shingles, generators make homes more resilient
Pettit’s unit was one of six homes built on Atkins’ Driftwood Lane by Ralston Eco Homes. The project was supported by more than $1 million in federal funds through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program aimed at providing housing for disaster-affected people who earn at or below 80 percent of the area median income.
Through the program, homes were required to incorporate features that make them more resilient to future natural disasters, such as impact-resistant shingles and reinforced roofs fortified to withstand high winds and hail. Developers were able to select from various options, including enhanced stormwater management, solar panels or solar-ready pathways, energy efficient design, and generators.
Rental and single-family projects must either construct a basement or provide a storm shelter or safe room for protection against windstorms. And new construction projects must use advanced framing techniques that reduce the amount of lumber used while increasing the structural integrity and energy efficiency.
The energy-efficient Atkins homes include features like rigid foam insulation, high-performance windows and Energy Star appliances.
The builder also reinforced the attachment of the roof to the rest of the house to make it more durable and wind-resistant. However, the improvements did not meet full certification standards for wind protection due to cost constraints, said Jeffrey Ralston with Ralston Eco Homes.
Instead, the primary focus was on making the homes more comfortable during power outages, with enhanced insulation making it more airtight.
“Our approach to resiliency was that if the power goes out, your house is going to stay warm in the winter and cold in the summer longer without electricity,” Ralston said.
The CDBG-DR program provided up to $15,000 per unit for rental units and up to $25,000 per unit for single family homes to offset those costs.
“As a generalization, I would say that with rising costs, it’s challenging for builders to incorporate these measures without some form of grant assistance to do so,” Mitchell said.
In total, Linn and Benton County projects were awarded $5.6 million for 34 single-family units for sale, mostly duplexes. Another $10.2 million was awarded toward 105 rental units.
To date, eight single-family units and 47 rental units have been constructed, with 26 homes under construction. Another 30 rental units are being built. The remaining 28 units are anticipated to start construction later this summer or fall.
Millions invested in CR, but ‘pressures for housing options’ persist
In Cedar Rapids, $33 million in federal housing disaster recovery dollars has been awarded to build 76 single-family units for sale and 97 rental units. Twenty-one of the houses have sold, with the balance expected to be completed and sold in the next two years, according to city staff. Four rental units have leased, with another 41 expected to be leased this winter, according to the city.
Overall, since August of 2020, more than $500 million has been invested building 2,000 housing units in Cedar Rapids, largely in the downtown area, through projects involving city incentives, according to city staff.
Additionally, the Cedar Rapids Disaster Recovery Rehabilitation Program, funded through $2.5 million in federal disaster recovery grant dollars, has assisted between 55 to 60 households with home repairs caused by the 2020 derecho. The program provides assistance with health and safety issues, code corrections and lead-based paint hazards. Homeowners can receive up to $42,000 in project-related costs or up to 50 percent of their property's pre-disaster assessed value, which is lower.
A separate partnership between the City of Cedar Rapids, Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, Linn County and the United Way of East Central Iowa has assisted 293 households in Alburnett, Cedar Rapids, Covington, Hiawatha, Lisbon, Marion, Mount Vernon, Shellsburg and Springville with more than $3.4 million in funding for derecho-related repairs.
Cedar Rapids Housing Services, though, continues to receive calls to assist homeowners with derecho-related repairs, according to city staff.
Jennifer Pratt, director of community development for the City of Cedar Rapids, said the PATCH program helped meet immediate needs, and federal funding is now available for the next iteration of the city’s ROOTS program focused on new owner-occupied and multifamily construction.
The program is designed to help low-to-moderate income households recover from the 2020 derecho and previous disasters by providing access to newly constructed, affordable single-family homes. The program offers down payment assistance and prioritizes households impacted by the derecho.
“We know that there are continuing pressures for housing options in our community, and so those federal funds really do help kick start that development and help fill some of those gaps,” Pratt said, adding there still is a housing rehabilitation program available for those with lingering issues. “We are now just dealing with the general pressures on housing options at different price points throughout the community.”
She said the city continues to address those pressures with efforts to incentivize new housing development, streamline the development process and ensure zoning codes do not hinder affordable housing. Annual market studies help identify specific needs and trends.
She praised the community's ability to identify immediate needs and use local resources effectively, with strong relationships with nonprofits.
Builder: Without incentives, resilient houses are tough to construct
Pratt said the development community has responded positively to new opportunities, leading to marketable infill housing, and highlighted the benefits of local builders incorporating more resilient building techniques into their standard practices.
Anecdotally, she said developers who have participated in the federal disaster recovery program have said they plan to incorporate advanced framing techniques into their normal process.
“I feel like that's a benefit for the community having that experience,” Pratt said. “… I feel like our development community really responds, and that ends up being something that we can build upon moving forward.”
But without systemic changes, individual builders and homeowners are unlikely to voluntarily adopt more resilient and expensive construction techniques, said Ralston.
Without the federal funding, he estimates Pettit’s units would have cost another $25,000.
The duplex units were listed at $175,000, with potential down payment assistance of up to $35,000 for qualified homebuyers, paid by the developer and reimbursed by the grant funding.
Although supply chains have rebounded, prices of building materials still are far above their pre-pandemic levels, making it more expensive to build with robust materials known for resilience, Ralston said.
A tight labor market and rising wages also add to the overall cost of construction, further impacting the feasibility of incorporating costly resilience features, said Chad Pelley with Twenty40 Building Concepts.
The company is building six derecho recovery homes funded by $1 million in CDBG disaster recovery funds as part of the Dows Farm Agri-Community off Mount Vernon Road. The 179-acre planned development will combine agriculture, commercial and residential uses in one neighborhood, including a working farm, event center, trails and a “pocket neighborhood.”
The six homes include a basement and are being built with sustainable and durable materials to be more resilient and have a higher level of efficiency, Pelley said.
“I can't build these homes anywhere near the maximum sales price of $175,000 without” grant support, he said. “I mean, you're in the $300,000-plus price point.”
While there's awareness and desire to build more resilient structures, economic barriers from high interest rates, labor shortages and economic uncertainties from new tariffs remain the primary obstacle to widespread implementation, Pelley said.
Rising construction costs pose a significant challenge, but developers are finding ways to adapt and prioritize resilience through various strategies, said Cedar Rapids developer Steve Emerson. The key, he said, is finding a balance between cost-effectiveness, community needs and the long-term benefits.
Emerson’s company received a $5 million CDBG-DR grant to help cover the $9.5 million cost to build the Harvest Loft Apartments in Center Point. The three-story, 42-unit building adheres to HUD-certified building standards to withstand high winds, rain and flying debris.
Shingles were put on with extra nails and tacked down better, and the roof, walls and foundation were tied down together using engineered connections like metal connectors to create a solid structure capable of resisting wind uplift and pressure. Impact-resistant windows, siding and doors were installed, along with a backup generator with outlets in the hall for tenants to use. The apartment building also includes WiFi that’s tied into the generator “so that if there is a storm and we lose power, (tenants) still have the ability to communicate,” Emerson said.
The fortified construction proved a blessing when an EF1 tornado touched down near Center Point in July with maximum wind speeds of 95 mph.
“Graham Animal Hospital right behind it lost their roof, and we got no damage at all to our building,” Emerson said.
He said the fortified design amounted to $12,000 in annual insurance savings.
While building to the HUD-certified standards would not have been financially viable without the federal funding, Emerson said his company has found ways to incorporate some aspects into its other projects.
“We've incorporated some elements that we've learned that are not costly,” Emerson said. “We'll use cement board siding instead of vinyl siding. It's a little more expensive, but it's a heck of a lot more durable. And so some of those things, you know, we incorporate in our projects anyway.”
Homeowners, though, struggle to see the long-term savings, focusing instead on up-front costs and prioritizing aesthetics over long-term resilience, Ralston said.
“I would love to be doing those things, but people won't pay for it,” he said of building more wind-resistant homes.
Ralston added the insurance industry does not offer meaningful discounts for resilient construction. Even when homeowners invest in more durable construction techniques, he said insurance companies largely do not recognize or reward such efforts through lower premiums. He suggested that without meaningful financial incentives, most homeowners and builders will continue to prioritize cost and aesthetics over long-term resilience.
“You can make a home more energy efficient, and it's going to save you $1,500 a year on your electric bill,” he said. “So over 10 years, it's going to save you $15,000, right? But if the cost of the house is $10,000 more, they don't think of themselves as saving $5,000 over 10 years.”
Ralston said adopting and enforcing stronger building codes also can ensure a more resilient built environment and potentially reduce long-term costs associated with disasters.
“I wish homeowners were coming to me and saying, ‘We'd like you to build a custom home. We're really worried about future weather events. We'd like you to do these techniques to try and make the house more resilient to wind, storms and rain and flooding and all this stuff,’” he said. “We'd love to do that, but then we tell them, ‘Well, your budget then won't allow you to have a stone facade on the front of your home. They're like, ‘Oh, well, I'd rather have the stone facade.’”
Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com
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