Bergan describes derecho effects on family
The world continues to groan from a variety of problems affecting each of us—whether it is the worldwide corona virus pandemic, social, political, economic unrest, or fear for safety of family members in various parts of the country and world.
I am thinking of three grandchildren in or near the Cedar Rapids area, who have experienced the devastating effects of the powerful derecho windstorm that left Cedar Rapids, smaller communities, and rural areas without electricity for well over a week. Farmland with tall corn standing proudly, was laid flat with farm buildings and rural homes badly damaged.
Granddaughter Callie Bergan, a teacher in the Urbandale school district, was on the edge of the storm, but my two granddaughters, originally from Thompson, were caught in the Cedar Rapids path of damaged homes, businesses and schools.
Jessica and Josh Blasdell were among the more fortunate residents whose property was not damaged like many others. She works for a business that builds domains and websites, while Josh works for a small tool and die company. They had minor tree damage, but lost electricity, as did the rest of the city. Josh had an old generator in the garage that had enough power to charge their cell phones and power their electric fry pan for meals. They shared the generator with neighbors who had small children.
Meteorologists weren’t prepared for the strong, straight line hurricane force wind to occur in Iowa, of all places, so many people were caught unaware of the danger. Granddaughter Jennifer Bradley and her 11-year-old daughter, Avery, had been school shopping that morning. While waiting in a drive-thru for lunch, they experienced the storm’s fury firsthand. The derecho whipped up winds well over 100 mph, tossing debris and other objects through the air. The car rocked back and forth with the force of the winds. Jennifer admitted to never being this scared before, but had to remain strong for the sake of her daughter. Later, Avery said, “Mom and I were traumatized.”
After about 40 minutes, the wind subsided. They then made their way home. What should have been a 10-minute trip turned into three hours. Jennifer admitted to driving on sidewalks and yards to get closer to home. They still ended up parking several blocks away and walking as city streets were impassable. City snowplows were used to clear paths for passage.
Jen and Dennis’ three-story Colonial revival home had damage. Their roofs had just been re shingled earlier in the summer, but large tree limbs damaged the roof again. A couple of windows were damaged—one on the third floor and the other on the first floor. Carpeting in one room was subsequently damaged by heavy rain. A chimney was broken off and pushed the central air unit off its base. It took them several days to clear the branches and brush off their yard.
Dennis is a family counselor with a practice downtown, while Jen is a mental health nurse practitioner who works from home. She meets with her patients electronically. Due to the storm, she was unable to work for two weeks. A friend from Mount Vernon had offered the use of her home internet, as she didn’t lose power.
Their goal was to get the branches cut up and placed along their street for the city employees and National Guard to haul out. They needed to uncover the downed wiring on the ground before electricity was restored. Jennifer drove to a nearby town to purchase a new chainsaw, associated equipment, and food supplies. Her parents were able to find replacement chains and other needs for them as well. Avery came home with her grandparents for a few days and came back bearing two apple crisps she made for her family and her aunt and uncle. Jen and Dennis’ neighbors had a gas stove, so they shared their meals together and were happy to share in the delicious apple crisp.
The disaster seemed to bring out the best in Iowans. A cousin from Waterloo offered shelter and the delivery of supplies, if necessary. Neighbors shared food, company, and helped each other with yard cleanup. Friends of their parents delivered ice to them to keep coolers with food cool. Both families had gas water heaters, so a warm shower at the end of a hard workday was appreciated.
On the 11th day of the power outage, electricity was restored to their homes. A group of utility workers from out-of-state were working in Jen and Dennis’ neighborhood that day. They shared their evening meal of hot dogs and potato chips with them. The workers were very appreciative and said two things: It is true that Iowans are among the friendliest in the country and that this storm was among the most devastating they had ever been involved in.
President Trump made a surprise visit to the Cedar Rapids Airport where a conference was held with city and state officials and politicians. He promised Governor Reynolds swift financial help and was personally surprised to hear of the devastation of the storm. Senator Grassley stated he’d farmed for over 50 years and hadn’t seen crop damage such as this.
This strange phenomenon of nature will result in years of rebuilding, growth and endurance in an effort to return to near normal existence again. The people who lived through the storm will never forget the generosity of friends, neighbors, family and strangers who helped them in the aftermath. Many volunteers, professionals and organizations also assisted to help bring order into a chaotic situation. I am sure that many folks have their own personal stories of neighbors and friends who pooled their resources and survival skills to get them through this once-in-a-lifetime storm.
