A rare inland storm known as a derecho passed through the state of Iowa on 10 August, leaving widespread damage in its wake.
Winds reaching 140 miles an hour demolished many parts of the city of Cedar Rapids. But it’s the state’s farmland where the long-term impact is expected to be felt most.
Nearly 35% of the state’s corn has been destroyed by the storm’s straight-line winds. As farmers continue to assess the damages more than two weeks later, it is becoming clearer that the storm has left a giant hole in 2020’s harvest season.
Robert Miller, 88, and his son Bruce have a farm in Norway, Iowa, which was badly hit by the derecho.
Robert has been without power for 12 days. He believes he has lost the majority of this year’s corn crops but still wants to try and harvest what he can. “We’ll be lucky to get out 25% of the fields. We won’t know until we get in there, though,” he said.
“I’m no scientist, but global warming is here. This is it,” said Bruce.
Right: A destroyed silo in Atkins, Iowa, on Thursday 20 August that reads ‘Iowa has it all’.
Robert’s other son, Van, drove up from Kansas City earlier in the week to help with the clean up process. Because the farm’s silo is so badly damaged, they have no choice but tear it down.
Millions of dollars in damage had been dealt not just to the crops, but to trailers and silos for grain transportation and storage. With no way of storing or transporting the remaining crops, this year’s yields could be even lower than what was left after the storm.
Alvin Pavlis has been farming his land for nearly 50 years. He has lost four metal grain bins, two garages and the majority of his corn crops. “I don’t know where to start or what to do,” he said. “The pickup is gone. I have no way to haul anything or to tear down anything … I don’t want to live through this again.”
