State officials seek more derecho aid

The derecho storm that mowed over a large swath of Iowa’s corn and chopped down thousands of trees a year ago has elected officials wondering when the state will fully recover from the devastation.

Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls couldn’t make a prediction on Tuesday last week, the one-year anniversary of one of the nation’s most severe inland storms.

“It was a really stressful time. I mean, you’re in the middle of a global pandemic, and then on top of that you have this major natural disaster,” said Wahls, D-Coralville.

“I think it’s very clear the state government has more to do. I think it’s impossible at this point to give you an exact timeline, per se, but I think … we’re going to continue to have more to do in the years ahead,” Wahls added.

Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation said they are pushing for more federal aid through a series of budget maneuvers and amendments.

U.S. Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, both Republicans, released videos marking the grim anniversary of what the National Weather Service called the United States’ most damaging thunderstorm.

“Last year’s derecho was the most costly inland weather disaster in U.S. history,” Grassley said.

The storm, which caused $11 billion in damage across the Midwest, leveled a quarter of Iowa’s sparse forest land, destroying half of the tree canopy in Cedar Rapids. The storm also destroyed 850,000 acres of crops.

The storm ripped through 770 miles of the Midwest, hitting eight states and killing four people over 14 hours, the National Weather Service reported.

“Today, there is still a long way to go for the many who were affected,” Ernst said. “But through it all, I’ve been moved by the stirring spirit of Iowans and encouraged by the resilience our communities have shown.”