Swift Storm Left Iowa in Tatters

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — It is not unheard-of for Iowa to experience a tornado or a freak thunderstorm. It is also not unheard-of for my mother to exaggerate a story.

But as I flew into my hometown, Cedar Rapids, I could see streams of smoke billowing from farms and backyards, separated by rows of dead corn stalks. The derecho storm that hit the city and surrounding counties on Aug. 10 was devastating.

Trees are still protruding into people’s homes. Roughly 35 percent of the state’s corn has been destroyed. Buildings across the city are now uninhabitable. Power is gone. I drove down familiar roads once shrouded by century-old trees. Instead, sunlight beamed from every direction while residents stacked debris in piles nearly as high as their homes.

Twelve days after the storm, which sent people scrambling for chain saws and generators, many Iowans feel ignored by aid workers and the news media. The task ahead is enormous.