FERGUSON, Iowa (NewsNation) — The derecho swept across the state of Iowa on August 10th, with winds reaching nearly 80 mph in Carroll County, and topping over 100 mph in other parts of the state.
The national attention surrounding the Iowa Derecho has been drawing in visitors to survey the damage areas in the state.
“We’re hearing a lot of it in the news, so we came down here to take a firsthand look at what’s going on and how big the damage is throughout the Iowa here,” said Brian O’Connor, one of three farmers who traveled to Iowa from Medford, Minnesota. “It’s interesting just what’s gonna happen with the corn that is down…. farmers kind of find ways to do things, and I think they’re going to find ways to pick a lot of this corn.”
The group saw numerous grain bin complexes, including heavy damage to the giant Heartland Coop east of the town of Ferguson.
“The bigger grain facilities—obviously the wind really catches the larger units,” said Paul Maas, a farmer from Medford, MN. “It’s heartbreaking to know everybody puts their heart and soul into farming in the field.”
“The corn is down it’s been blown over, it’s gonna be a long drawn out harvest. Hopefully the weather is not so bad,” said Lyndon O’Connor, a farmer from Medford.
For many, the cleanup efforts remain on hold due to the lack of insurance adjusters.
“Right now [we’re] just kind of waiting for insurance because they’re swamped,” said Mike Johnston, who lives near LeGrand, Iowa. “Actually I just got a call from my agent because they brought in 300 claims adjusters and they’ll get to me, when they can get to me.”
NewsNation affiliate WHO-13 contributed to this report.