Nearly one million of the trees felled in the 2020 derecho were in Linn County alone, and the damage left rural and urban communities alike with gaping holes in their tree canopies. Five years later, The Gazette is revisiting what’s been done to fill the gaps.
Five years after the 2020 derecho’s hurricane-force winds extensively damaged homes throughout the area, construction continues in Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities to replenish the housing stock that was damaged or entirely lost in the disaster.
Five years after a derecho devastated Cedar Rapids, city officials said they’ve incorporated many of the lessons learned into training for new employees, and a network of neighborhood resource centers stands ready to help residents in future times of need.
Five years ago, destructive prolonged wind gusts of up to 140 mph blew through Iowa, felling trees, flattening crops, ripping down power lines and tearing away building walls and roofs. It was the most costly thunderstorm in U.S. history. Derechos aren’t uncommon. What made this one so destructive? And how are derecho forecasts improving?
Move the sliders left and right to see the difference between 2020 and 2025.
Strong storms that brought hurricane-force winds to an area stretching from the Upper Plains to the Midwest have been preliminarily classified by the National Weather Service as a derecho, defined as a long-lived line of storms with extreme winds.
A Marion woman was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison for falsely claiming her residence had damage from the derecho, and receiving small business loan funds for a business that did not exist.
Trees Forever conducted an Earth Day tree planting event in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday
Volunteers planted 40 trees Friday at Prairiewoods Fransiscan Spirituality Center in Hiawatha through a partnership with Trees Forever and the City of Cedar Rapids. Prairiewoods lost 1,200 trees in the August 2020 derecho and has since planted 1,000 trees and shrubs.
After Linn County lost an estimated 1 million trees in the 2020 derecho, Monarch Research Project of Marion made it its mission to rebuild. The nonprofit has planted 100,000 native trees in Linn County. Monarch Research Project wants to double that total in the next five years.
American Society of Landscape Architecture recognizes Marion-based Monarch Research Project with Public Stewardship Award.
A federal judge declared a mistrial when a jury in June deadlocked over whether a K-9 officer used excessive force when he deployed his dog on a 13-year-old boy who was misidentified as being involved in a stolen car incident in August 2020.
Iowa homeowners are losing their coverage as some insurance companies have pulled out of Iowa. As climate change produces more extreme weather, insurers are losing money on the claims that result from the more frequent hail, windstorms, tornadoes and derechos.
Low- to moderate-income households primarily affected by the 2020 derecho may apply to buy one of 76 soon-to-be built single-family homes around Cedar Rapids. The city’s revived ROOTs program will use $15 million in federal disaster recovery funds to expand affordable housing.
A Cedar Rapids contractor scammed victims of the 2020 derecho and others by making promises of repair, getting down payments and then never doing the home repair work. One Cedar Rapids widow was conned out of more than $4,000, but he never repaired her roof.
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