More than 160,000 Residents in Iowa Still Without Power After Derecho

Five days after a derecho hit Iowa, 160,000 residents are struggling without electricity. 

Gov. Kim Reynolds assured the residents that Cedar Rapids would have their power back by Tuesday or earlier. Residents of Des Moines while having their electricity again this weekend.

Alliant Energy estimates that 2,500 damages poles had to be repaired in a week, a feat that usually takes eight months.

Reynolds also announced that she would submit a federal disaster declaration and was given assurance by President Donald Trump to provide federal resources once approved.

(Photo: Daniel Acker/Getty Images)
Corn sits near damaged grain bins at the Heartland Co-Op grain elevator on August 11, 2020, in Luther, Iowa. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said early estimates indicate 10 million acres, nearly a 1/3 of the states land used for crops, were damaged when a powerful storm battered the region a day earlier.

READ: Derecho Causes Havoc Across Midwest

The Derecho Storm's Damage

In a press conference on August 14, Reynolds said that "most of us had not even heard about the derecho before then, but now we know it all too well."

Derecho swept over 770 miles and lasted up to 14 hours at a wind speed of more than100 mph in Iowa and Illinois. 

According to poweroutage.us, there are around 167,733 customers that are without electricity as of Friday afternoon, and it is expected that the power outage will last for a few more days. 

The storm also caused devastating damage to corn and soybeans. Farmers were already facing drought conditions, and this recent disaster will likely leave a big dent to the state's $10 billion industry. Iowa, if the country's top producer of corn and harvest is expected by September and mid-October. 

In Cedar Rapids, one the hardest hit, had more than 20 school buildings damaged. Some neighbors have yet to remove the tree debris. A biker in Linn County died after a fallen tree struck him, the county's sheriff's office announced. 

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Most residential and commercial buildings in Cedar hills were damaged, with more than 800 structures that suffered full or partial collapse of the walls, ceilings, or floors, Cedar Rapids Chief Greg Smith announced.

According to resident Jeffrey Frajman, he and his neighbors wanted the power to come back and the road to clear badly but are frustrated with the slow response. 

Stuart Appelbaum said that "too many Iowans are suffering and it is not acceptable that they are living without electricity, many are unable to go work, downed trees block roads for families to get badly needed essential supplies."

Residents are struggling to make ends meet after, as this happened in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Eric Fish said he had not received any help except for the city worker who helped cut down a large tree branch his home. He said he had to resort to eating peanut butter sandwiches for the past three days as he could not prepare a hot meal without power. He shares his frustration that it has been a week with no electricity, and the massive debris is still everywhere. They are losing every bit of their food, and yet help could not be found.

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