The August 2020 Derecho & giving thanks to God.

[Jehanne]

I was in it, literally, as it hit my town of 25 years, Cedar Rapids, Iowa with 140 mph wind gusts:

August 2020 Midwest derecho

I had just finished a job downtown, making my living at present as a Field Service Technician, around 12:20 PM CDT.  As I stepped outside a bank, the civil defense sirens went off.  I immediately checked Accuweather on my phone.  The National Weather Service had declared a severe thunderstorm warning with high winds, stating that gusts of up to 90 mph would cause "devastation".  At first I brushed off their warning.  Having lived in Iowa my entire life, I had seen these types of warnings before, and in the past, any destruction had been local, an isolated area of trailer courts.  Still, I was concerned.  By that time my wife was on her way to pick me up, and we agreed that we would go get our other car which had been just repaired on the west side of town.

We never made it.  Along the way, the repair shop called; they wanted their money and they wanted our car gone.  A mile away from them, the winds started to pick up, and I soon realized that this was no ordinary storm.  I asked my wife to head back to our home, and she turned on a side street, asking me to drive.  By that time the winds were a constant 70 mph and debris was starting to fly through the air.

I feared for my life, and especially, for that of my wife and 9-year old daughter, and my 17-year old son at home who was still sleeping after a long night of watching TV.  We headed home but after another mile the winds were so strong I had no choice but to park, with the rear of my car facing the wind.

Another 45 minutes of hell.  Never did I pray, but, I thought that my life and that of my family was going to come to an end.  Debris everywhere, with large branches being pushed down the road.  I parked as far away from trees as I could but they simply started falling over and apart, one by one.

Finally, the winds began to subside, and against the pleas of my wife, I began to slowly head home, concerned about my son and my home.  A few miles later and a mile from my home we set out on foot, as debris clogged nearly every street with flash flooding.

My wife and daughter continued ahead of me, while I helped two men clear a large tree branch off of 1st Ave (US 151 Business) that was blocking traffic.  Finally, I continued on foot, trying to catch up with them; things were a disaster:







I was very concerned about getting through this new narrow passage and the fact I or someone may be instantaneously crushed:



And, then, the extent of the destruction began to enter the realm of nightmarish fantasy, as I began to imagine the much, much worse outcome of a nuclear war:



A brief moment of joy at seeing my wife and daughter, the threat of electrocution becoming more and more apparent with the many downed power lines:




Finally, we made it home, and I was so happy to see my son and the fact that my home was still standing, having sustained damage to my roof and siding, along with a blown-out window:





Some in my neighborhood were, unfortunately, not as lucky as I:



The next day I found this across my street.  I was so inspired!




Eight straight days without power; our food spoiled and my dog became sick from overheat.  Sleepless nights with all of the sirens and hot, humid nights, and no bath for 5 straight days.  On Tuesday, August 18th, my power was restored, and while driving in my neighborhood, I saw this:



I feel sorry for them, I really do.  My home means so very much to me, and no doubt, theirs means a lot to them, also.  No doubt, I thought, that their religious beliefs and faith bring them consolations and comforts.  Still, I wondered as I took this photo if they knew about higher Biblical criticism, and the fact that most critical scholars do not look upon the Gospel of John as containing the thoughts and sayings of the historical Jesus.

I know that they have homeowner's insurance, a product of the Enlightenment, which, regardless, will cover this "act of God".

[Silver]

Natural disasters can bring about such beauty in nature.

[brewer]

Glad you and the fam are OK and made it thru the torment.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

@Jehanne

Just for shits and giggles, maybe hide tags on posts with this much imagery. Makes it a little easier to manage replies.

Boru

[Gwaithmir]

If this destruction is truly an act of God, people should have the legal right to sue the local churches for damages. They are, after all, supposed to be God's representatives on earth. God is clearly guilty of committing an act of malicious mischief and should be required to answer for his actions. 

[Jehanne]

@Jehanne

Just for shits and giggles, maybe hide tags on posts with this much imagery. Makes it a little easier to manage replies.

Boru

I suppose that it's like a movie with no visuals, just audio. I was trying to tell a story, a very sad one which also had a strange ending.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

@Jehanne

Just for shits and giggles, maybe hide tags on posts with this much imagery. Makes it a little easier to manage replies.

Boru

I suppose that it's like a movie with no visuals, just audio.  I was trying to tell a story, a very sad one which also had a strange ending.

Yeah, I get that - I wasn’t trying to criticize. Just a suggestion.

Boru

[arewethereyet]

My brother and his family live on the west side of CR. Cedar Rapids is my sister-in-law's hometown. They had minimal damage at their house though I guess it did blow in their garage door and knocked power out for a few days. Luckily they were at their lake house in Delhi so the cars were with them received no damage.

@Jehanne I hope you and yours are doing well.

Four years ago our house was nearly destroyed by a freak hail storm and we lost both vehicles. Mother Nature isn't to be underestimated.

[no one]

Those were the gay trees.