Iowa faces difficult storm recovery

An unusual storm last week destroyed or extensively damaged 8,200 homes and 13 million acres of corn in Iowa, according to Gov. Kim Reynolds. At least three people died in the state during the derecho, which brought winds exceeding 100 miles per hour. More than 70,000 Iowans still had no power as of Monday, according to the Des Moines Register.

How are recovery efforts going? President Donald Trump on Monday approved an emergency declaration to support the state’s recovery process. Reynolds had asked for nearly $4 billion for rebuilding efforts from the federal government. The state is requesting $3.78 billion for agriculture losses, $100 million for private utilities, $82 million for homes, and $45 million for public assistance.

Dig deeper: Read Esther Eaton’s report in The Sift about the damage the storm left behind in several Midwest states.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated this report since its initial posting.