IOWA DERECHO 2020
Where to get help: Resources for residents after the derecho
On Monday, Aug.10 Iowa was hit with a derecho — hurricane strength, straight-line winds — that leveled homes, businesses and left thousands without access to food, power or internet.
Because fact-based, useful information about the derecho recovery and its impact locally is crucial to the safety of our community, we're offering unlimited access to The Gazette's most important coverage of the storm and its impact here.
Send us your stories: Share your experiences here.
Stay updated: Sign up for The Gazette's daily newsletter and get daily derecho updates.
Find financial help: Learn how to apply for FEMA aid and other financial help for storm victims.
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FEMA center for Linn County residents affected by derecho to close Saturday
The Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Center in Linn County will close at 6 p.m. Saturday, but residents seeking help to recover from the Aug. 10 derecho have until Oct. 19 to apply for assistance. ...
Tama County faces long road 'back to normal' after derecho
VINING - After last month's derecho blew through, this small town faced a big problem. ...
Lost and found: Derecho a blessing and curse for pets
CEDAR RAPIDS - For four little kittens, last month's devastating derecho paved the way for them to find a home. ...
Cedar Rapids mayor takes heat in emails following derecho
CEDAR RAPIDS - Even without power or internet, dozens of frustrated Cedar Rapids residents found ways to email Mayor Brad Hart in the days after the Aug. 10 derecho to complain about his response. ...
Derecho damage keeps GreenState Credit Union's Hiawatha branch closed temporarily
GreenState Credit Union's Hiawatha branch remains closed temporarily because of building damage, chief marketing officer Jim Kelly said. ...
Westfield Tennis Club in Cedar Rapids may be closed a year after derecho damage, owner says
CEDAR RAPIDS - A private indoor tennis facility in southwest Cedar Rapids was so significantly damaged by the Aug. 10 derecho storm that it likely will be closed for at least a year. ...
Hundreds of ImOn, Mediacom customers without service more than five weeks after derecho
About 700 ImOn customers and 'definitely hundreds' of Mediacom customers are without internet or landline service more than four weeks after the Aug. 10 derecho, spokeswomen from the companies told The Gazette. ...
Derecho windstorm removes 550,000 Iowa corn acres from harvest
DES MOINES, Iowa - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that 550,000 acres of Iowa corn will not be harvested this fall due to damage caused by the Aug. 10 windstorm that swept across the state. ...
Inside Swamp Fox: Scramble after derecho to restore key Marion substation
CEDAR RAPIDS - Mayuri Farlinger had about an hour's notice before the worst storm she's seen in her career. She 'hunkered down' in the safest room of Alliant Energy's operations building on Shaver Road NE and made calls to other employees to come in as soon as possible before the storm hit ...
People turn tree debris and stumps from derecho into art
Before the Aug. 10 derecho, wood working artist Clint Plinthenik would get maybe five calls a week from people interested in his chain saw creations. In the month since the storm raged through Iowa, that has jumped to 60 to 80 calls a day. ...
Southeast Polk football team brings derecho relief funds to Cedar Rapids before game
CEDAR RAPIDS - Not often does the most impactful moment of a football game take place before the opening kickoff. But at Kingston Stadium Friday evening, that's exactly what happened. ...
Seven more Iowa counties, Sac and Fox Tribe eligible for FEMA derecho aid
DES MOINES - The Federal Emergency Management Agency has made assistance available to public entities and nonprofits in seven additional Iowa counties as well as the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa in the wake of the Aug. 10 derecho, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Friday. ...
Deputy Superintendent Nicole Kooiker helps lead Cedar Rapids schools through pandemic, derecho
CEDAR RAPIDS - Nicole Kooiker started her job as deputy superintendent of Cedar Rapids schools in the middle of a crisis - first the coronavirus pandemic and then the derecho that damaged school buildings. ...
Roof contractors facing 10- to 12-week delays in Cedar Rapids area
If you need a new roof because of the Aug. 10 derecho storm, don't be surprised if your contractor tells you it could be weeks - or even months - before the work can begin. ...
Gov. Kim Reynolds extends derecho disaster proclamation
DES MOINES - Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Thursday she has extended a disaster proclamation for counties affected by the Aug. 10 derecho. ...
Tarps covering derecho damage prove no match for ongoing rain
CEDAR RAPIDS - A month after the derecho ripped off roofs and thrust tree limbs through rafters, the quilt of blue tarps left to temporarily protect so many homes is time and again proving no match for this week's relentless rains - and yet more damage. ...
Led by Dallas Hobbs, Iowa athletes across country raise money for derecho relief
Three months ago, Cedar Rapids' Dallas Hobbs was just another college football player hoping this coronavirus pandemic wouldn't affect his junior season at Washington State. ...
Cedar Rapids fundraising to 'ReLeaf' after derecho destroyed tree canopy
CEDAR RAPIDS - No mountains mark the city's horizon. The Cedar River cuts through town, but the nearest ocean is hundreds of miles away. At least Cedar Rapids residents could take solace in the city's lush tree canopy - until the derecho's ferocious winds ravaged Iowa nearly a month ago. ...
More than 5,000 in Cedar Rapids area still without internet after derecho
CEDAR RAPIDS - More than 5,500 Mediacom and ImOn Communications customers still are without service almost a month after the Aug. 10 derecho's hurricane-force winds downed trees and power lines. ...
Matthew 25's volunteer week focuses on derecho repairs
CEDAR RAPIDS - Every year, Cedar Rapids nonprofit Matthew 25 holds Transform Week, sending teams of volunteers out into the Taylor and Time Check neighborhoods to tackle home repair projects. Those neighborhoods have been at the heart of the organization's Block by Block rebuilding efforts ...
Other derechos have raked Iowa over the years
Though most of us hadn't heard the word "derecho" before Aug. 10, earlier hurricane-like, straight-line winds have caused millions of dollars in damage in Iowa at least five times since 1965. ...
'Scary' time inside 911 center after derecho
CEDAR RAPIDS - In the hours following the Aug. 10 storm and leading into the next day, the Cedar Rapids Fire Department responded to 547 calls for service including six structural collapses, 39 structure fires, 243 gas leaks, 92 electrical hazards or power lines down and six traumatic inju ...
Tell us your derecho story
The Gazette is inviting Iowans to tell their stories and share their pictures and videos from the Aug. 10 derecho. ...
Local officials want 200 FEMA trailers for derecho victims
CEDAR RAPIDS - Elected officials pleaded Friday for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to bring 200 trailers to Cedar Rapids for residents whose homes were destroyed in the Aug. 10 derecho. ...
All Cedar Rapids elementaries fixed and ready for students
The Gazette ...
Hundreds are working on storm cleanup, but it'll take months
CEDAR RAPIDS - It has been nearly a month since winds of more than 100 mph tore through Eastern Iowa destroying crops, uprooting trees, snapping power lines and shattering trees. ...
When trees are more than just trees to us
Just one week before the Aug. 10 storm hit, my aunt and cousins came to visit. It was the first time they'd been to my house since I moved to Cedar Rapids five years ago, and as we walked along the shade-dappled streets of my southeast side neighborhood, they remarked how lovely it was, th ...