Widespread derecho damages in Jasper County

Straight-line winds as fast as 99 mph on Monday ripped through Central Iowa communities — including Jasper County — and have severely damaged neighborhoods, leaving thousands of people without power. According to the National Weather Service, some of the strongest gusts hit Newton.

And, unfortunately, it shows.

By the time the storm passed, residents exited their front doors to see massive tree branches had blocked roadways, fallen into their neighbor’s yard, splintered into jagged pieces or, in some cases, collapsed onto the roof of a home. Debris was everywhere, many streets were inaccessible and cell service was spotty.

This type of damage was caused by a derecho, which the National Severe Storm Laboratory (NSSL) defines as: “A widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunder storms. A typical derecho consists of numerous microbursts, downbursts and downburst clusters.”

NSSL notes derecho wind speeds usually exceed 58 mph. The storm that had blown through Iowa and Illinois had gusts as fast as 106 mph, according to an unofficial record in Le Grand. NWS said the highest official wind gust measured 99 mph at the Marshalltown Airport.

Some of the strongest winds were between Highway 30 and Interstate 80, moving eastward. On Monday morning, shortly after the brunt of the storm had cleared, Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty breathlessly confirmed just about every town in the county had been hit in some way.

Dispatch received several calls of downed power lines and upended trees throughout the county. Halferty told Newton News at 1:41 p.m. Monday there were several damages to structures and crops, and that recovery efforts were already taking place. It was believed injuries from the storm were minor.

However, Ryan J. Foley and Josh Funk of the Associated Press reported Tuesday that the storm killed two people. Halferty said travel was not advised, but that didn’t stop people from surveying the damages to Newton and the small town communities of Jasper County.

Danielle Rogers, public information officer for the Jasper County Emergency Operation Center (ECO), said a lot of the unincorporated areas of the county received crop and structural damages. From the reports the Jasper County ECO collected, more severe damages occurred in areas north of Interstate 80.

There is more damage to Newton than what officials first saw on Monday after the storm subsided, Rogers added. Apart from the damages to neighborhoods (of which there are many), other properties like downtown buildings and some of the historic buildings of Legacy Plaza saw heavy destruction.

Newton Mayor Mike Hansen surveyed the damage when the winds had finally calmed. He told Newton News that the city is working on a debris management plan, allowing citizens to discard some types of debris on curbsides. The priority is still to clear the streets and get public infrastructure back to a functional state.

Starting Wednesday, Aug. 12, county officials opened the old Jasper County Care Facility as a drop-off location for natural debris like trees, leaves and shrubs. For residents of Newton and Lambs Grove, the landfill is allowing free drop-offs of natural debris as well, but an ID or proof of residence is required.

“It’s pretty devastating for a community,” Hansen said, adding that he was on his way back from a trip in northeast Iowa when the storm hit Newton. “… I got caught in it east of Marshalltown and was able to get into a Casey’s store before it actually hit. I drive a Lincoln. It was tossing that Lincoln around like a toy.”

Some of the more rural towns of Jasper County are responding well to the cleanups. Rogers said Baxter, Kellogg, Monroe, Prairie City and Colfax had minimal damages. However, many communities did not have power for some time. Others are still struggling to restore electricity, let alone clear any debris.

“Mingo was hit really hard,” Rogers said. “They have trees and power lines down. So that is one of the priorities. The ECO is trying make sure the utility companies know Mingo is without power and isn’t starting a process of cleaning up yet. They’re worried about safety with power lines mixed in with trees.”

NWS identified Newton — alongside the Des Moines metro, Marshalltown, Ames, Tama/Toledo and Carroll — as some of the areas severely affected by the straight-line winds of the derecho storm. As of Tuesday, City of Newton’s public works crews have cleared many trees from streets.

Rogers said, “For the streets that aren’t cleared — and it’s the same thing with other communities — it’s because there are power lines mixed in with the trees. So they’re waiting for crews to come. Our crews will follow around the utility companies as they start clearing up those power lines.”

Both Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy serve as electricity providers for Jasper County communities. These utility companies have priorities when determining a restoration strategy, and Rogers said Jasper County ECO has provided as much information as they can from a local level.

Still, those companies are stretched thin. Several other counties in Iowa and Illinois were hit, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without electricity and no real timeframe for when power will be restored. Rogers said emergency officials know there are crews in or on their way to Jasper County.

Brandon Talsma, chair of the Jasper County Board of Supervisors, cautioned residents from trying to clear the debris mixed with power lines themselves. In a statement to Newton News, Talsma told citizens to wait for county or electric company crews to clear the blockages.

“The damage from this storm is extremely widespread and cleanup will take some time,” he said. “Please be patient and use common sense. We know the residents of Jasper County are strong and resilient and will get through this. Check up on your neighbors, especially the elderly ones, and help each other.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com