Derecho Apocalypse

[KidSilverhair]

Those of you who weren’t in the path of the huge storm last Monday may not realize the extent of the damage, particularly in Cedar Rapids and Marshalltown and many of the areas in between.

The devastation is severe. All of Cedar Rapids’ school buildings were damaged, the three high schools quite seriously. Much of the city still doesn’t have power, six days later. Some streets are impassible. Trees are down on houses everywhere. It’s seriously hurricane-like damage throughout the entire metro area.

Certainly Wash, Jefferson, Kennedy, Xavier and Marion haven’t even started football practice, and I doubt Prairie or Linn-Mar have, either - so they’ve lost a week of practice and they’re going to lose more.

I honestly don’t see how any of these teams are going to be ready on August 28. They could surprise me, but I’d be shocked. In fact, there are rumors that the Cedar Rapids public schools may throw in the towel on football entirely for this season.

I was surprised not to see something posted here already. This is truly a disaster on a massive scale, and it absolutely might have an impact on the fall football season.

 

[troutstamp1]

It is a site you cant even imagine in your wildest dreams here in Iowa. Ive been over to the Cedar Rapids area helping with clean up in any way possible but it seems like it never ends. The floods of 2008 that basically shut the city down is not even close to the destruction this storm did in I believe 24 total counties. Over 100 mph winds sustained for close to a half hr just caused massive damage to everything in its path. I know a lot of the schools have major damage but I honestly think they will do whatever they can for the kids to play fall sports if possible maybe using other facilities. I know Benton Community lost thier football facility and just saw on twitter they are playing all their games on the road just to play.

 

[Reasoned]

Being in eastern IA I consider it fortunate just losing a huge maple tree and other debris but the amount of time without power and the wide swathe of property damage throughout the state is truly heartbreaking. Really surprised the MSM hasn’t provided more coverage of this....(please note the sarcasm), this is fly over country after all.

 

[Gamefly]

Seeing the destruction this storm did it has become a pretty big priority for me to get rid of the massive silver maple in my backyard. That thing drops limbs in minor storms. It is also bigger than my house. If even a storm with half the strength of this derecho came through the tree would come down.

Will be an expensive ordeal, but better than having to deal with the stress of it falling on my house or the neighbor's house.

PSA if you ever have the opportunity to plant a silver maple in your yard. Don't.

 

[Pinehawk]

I saw a bent goal post at a game field recently. Not sure if it would be fixable prior to the first game.
I hadn’t thought about storm damage to goal posts or light towers at some fields in the storms path.
I wonder how common that was, hopefully not too much.

 

[tastytacos]

Lisbon just got a new press box and it got completely destroyed in the storm.

 

[KidSilverhair]

Yeah, I heard Lisbon's brand new press box was destroyed. Benton Community's press box collapsed onto their stands - the Bobcats are playing all their games away from home this fall (their "home" games will be at Vinton-Shellsburg and Williamsburg). Marion also suffered damage at Thomas Park, and they're playing their home games on Saturdays at Linn-Mar.

It's a mess around here. My back yard is still full of a giant elm, and my shade tree in the front yard split the trunk. I hope to get both of them out of here this week.