The Wind Of 2020 – A Summer Storm Like No Other

Wind storms in Iowa are actually not uncommon. But a Derecho? That’s a whole different matter!

The Calm Before The Storm

August 10, 2020 started off as a beautiful summer day here in Iowa. So I hopped in the car that morning and took a drive into the country.

I was on my way to pick up some beautiful fresh produce from my farm friend Nancy. (She has gifted us with many garden and orchard treats this summer.) Just check out these tomatoes she had waiting for me!

The drive home was beautiful and so peaceful. I had no idea that a weather monster was headed our direction. In fact there was no wind to move the corn stalks at all that summer day!

I got home and began to fix lunch. And that’s when things began to change…in a VERY big way.

Our city storm and tornado sirens began to wail even though the skies were still beautiful. And I noticed a neighbor across the street as she began to put a cover over her car that was parked in her driveway. (That seemed rather strange since I’d never seen a cover on her car before.) 

I flipped on the TV to see what was happening. ..and THIS is what I saw.

The weather graphic painted a terrifying picture. This monster storm was headed our way…and soon! The skies began to darken and the air became heavy.

Luckily Peepaw pulled into the driveway just as the wind began to pick up steam, and it wasn’t long before we were both headed to the basement for shelter.

This might be a good time to say that Peepaw RARELY takes cover during our Heartland storms. But THIS one was different. We lost our power almost immediately. (It would remain off for days.)

As the winds howled outside I began to hear crashes as the trees in our neighborhood were bending at ridiculous angles.  The storm lasted for a LONG time…at least an hour! The winds would diminish and we would think it must be over. But suddenly the huge gusts would begin again, And AGAIN.

The awful storm lasted much longer than predicted. And when we finally emerged from the basement we quickly realized the damage in our city must be significant. But as bad as damage was here in Iowa City, I had no idea how much worse the storm had been in Cedar Rapids, about 25 miles North.

The Wind Stopped And Work Began

Trees were blocking our street and driveway.

Of course Peepaw grabbed his chainsaw and headed out immediately to begin clearing the debris. Our neighbor Chad quickly appeared to lend a hand.

Our back yard had downed limbs, yet the little bird house stayed put! Figure that one out!

Our pool was littered with limbs like this one, yet Peepaw’s wooden fence remained intact.  We were MUCH better off than folks in many parts of our city.

Our electricity was off for several days, and our frozen food made a trip to my friend Wendee’s home for safekeeping until power was restored. (Good friends are such a treasure!) But since wires were torn down from our neighbor’s house he was without power for many more days than we were. So as soon as our power was restored we ran a heavy duty power cord from our basement into his kitchen so he could at least plug in his refrigerator. (He waited nearly a week for his electricity to be restored.)

Many areas of Iowa City suffered extensive damage, and large trees crashed down on many roofs and buildings. Many beautiful old trees were lost during the storm, but luckily there was no loss of life in our city.  Read more HERE: 

Next time I’ll share photos and stories of the devastation in nearby Cedar Rapids. That devastation is what prompted me to skip my usual writing schedule and instead make a plan to help folks who suffered so much damage from that storm. And my friends and neighbors were quick to answer my call to help too!

Wait til I show you just how much LOVE can be packed into Peepaw’s pickup!