116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Derecho by the digits: Numbers help tell the story of the storm
Gazette staff
Aug. 30, 2020 9:00 am
The Aug. 10 derecho wreaked nearly $4 billion worth of destruction in Iowa, the state estimated in its application for a presidential declaration for federal aid. But that one number alone does not capture the sweep of the storm or the gargantuan efforts to recover.
Here are some other numbers, as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, that help tell the story of the storm in a snapshot:
23,000
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Estimate of Cedar Rapids-owned trees lost or need to be taken down because of the derecho.
Trees Forever advises oaks, if possible, shouldn't be pruned in until winter to prevent the spread of oak wilt.
70,360
Meals served up by Operation BBQ Relief, deployed to Cedar Rapids since Aug. 16.
Gov. Kim Reynolds presented the 8 millionth meal in the operation's history Aug. 21 to Pam Hinman, spokeswoman for The Eastern Iowa Airport, who has been volunteering throughout the deployment.
58,872
Tons of tree debris hauled away by Cedar Rapids crews.
The city had nearly 22 percent of the first curbside pickup done by Wednesday afternoon.
Over 3,400
The number of power poles replaced by Alliant Energy.
The utility is doing the degree of work in a few weeks it would typically do in eight months.
Over 1,000
Wooden or metal poles used by ITC Midwest to rebuild the power grid.
The previous record was 480 after an ice storm in April 2019 affecting Northern Iowa and southern Minnesota.
401
Miles of high-voltage lines ITC Midwest repaired in Linn and Johnson counties.
ITC Midwest brought in crews from as far as Georgia and North Carolina to help with repairs.
Over 130,000
Customers in Linn and Johnson counties initially without power after the storm.
Almost three quarters of Corridor residents were in the dark at the peak of outages.
Over 780
Number of utility workers who were making repairs each day for ITC Midwest.
They drank more than 2,500 water bottles each day.
About 63
Number of Eastern Iowa school buildings damaged in the storm.
High school buildings in the Cedar Rapids district, including Kennedy, Washington and Jefferson, won't be safe for occupancy possibly until January.
4,174
Total number of calls for service fielded by the Cedar Rapids Police Department after the storm.
Of those, 664 were calls for welfare checks from people who were unable to reach loved ones after the storm.
2,071
Total number of calls for service fielded by the Cedar Rapids Fire Department after the storm.
That's close four times the 559 calls the fire department fielded during a similar time period the year before.
392
Number of fires after the storm Cedar Rapids firefighters were called to fight.
Eight-five of them were structure fires and 307 were outdoor fires.
18
Number of rescues Cedar Rapids firefighters responded to after the storm.
Calls included 12 regarding structure collapses or confined spaces and six entrapments or extrications. A spokesman said firefighters also responded to 85 structure fires, 148 electrical hazards or downed power lines and 125 citizen assists, all of which could have included additional rescue-type situations.
21,460
Total number of calls fielded after the storm by the Cedar Rapids Joint Communications Agency.
Public safety spokesman Greg Buelow said emergency dispatchers fielded 7,329 911 calls and 14,131 non-emergency calls.
53
Refugees and immigrants who have stayed at a shelter at the Catherine McAuley Center.
The nonprofit set up the shelter for immigrant community members displaced from their southwest Cedar Rapids apartments. About half have stayed for two to three nights, and half have stayed for more than a week.
Nearly 1,500
Number of overnight stays in hotels provided by the Red Cross in the wake of the storm.
'Some people stay one night and some people stay multiple nights,' said Josh Murray, regional communications director for the American Red Cross — Nebraska-Iowa Region.
Alison Gowans, Erin Jordan, Grace King, Marissa Payne, Kat Russell and John Steppe of The Gazette contributed.
An uprooted tree from the city right of way leans Aug, 10 on a fence in Cedar Rapids after a powerful storm with straight-line winds moved through Iowa. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Dewayne Daniel, director of disaster coordination and field training, puts on gloves Aug. 16 to begin slicing pork loin for Operation BBQ Relief at The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids. The nonprofit was providing free meals across 11 sites in Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Iowa Department of Transportation workers haul away downed trees and other debris near Ninth St. NW and K Avenue NW in northwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
A crew of electricians work Aug. 18 to restore power in the alley between the 1700 blocks of Fourth and Fifth avenues SE in Cedar Rapids. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Electrical workers from ITC Midwest repair downed power lines Aug. 18 along Highway 13 near County Home Road in Marion. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Letters spelling 'Marion' are missing Aug. 13 from the side of Marion High School. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Fire damage is seen Aug. 26 to the back of the Goldensoph family home in Cedar Rapids. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
Noela Elophe talks Aug. 19 about her experiences during the Aug. 10 derecho storm as she cleans out her apartment in southwest Cedar Rapids Elophe, who recently gave birth via C-section, was packing up what belongings weren't damaged by the storm to move to a new location because the apartment isn't livable. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Cleanup crews pile loads of tree debris Aug. 21 in a city lot along Ellis Boulevard NW in Cedar Rapids. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)