Check In Email Sunday After Derecho - Madeline Jarvis

Dublin Core

Text Item Type Metadata

Text

Sunday, August 16
6:31 am

Hi loved ones,

On Monday most of Iowa was hit by a category 2 inland hurricane with ten minutes’ warning. This rare storm is called a derecho and amounted to 45 minutes of rain and winds between 90-112mph. We have been without power since then but are safe! Power is projected to come back on in my neighborhood Tuesday or Thursday. My in laws live 90 minutes north and are I’m sending this from their house.

I feel like as a city employee I’ve been working nonstop since then but I truly have nothing to complain about. The power companies have tripled the amount of boots on the ground and in one week, have done as much work as they would usually do in eight months!!! Our county leadership is spectacular and I am so proud of the Marion city leadership. Here’s a quick update from me about what the week has held:

Our house:
We are blessed and have no damage to the house itself. We lost three trees and a fence, so are pretty unscathed!

I have about a dozen friends who have trees poking through their roofs and even more who have lost vehicles or sustained massive damage so I am definitely counting my blessings.

Our neighborhood:
Up until yesterday you had to drive over downed power lines to leave the block, because the other three intersections were completely impassible with fallen trees. I live in a historic neighborhood of Cedar Rapids called Oak Hill Jackson... so as you can guess, plenty of old trees lost!

I have been so impressed with our neighborhood response. Since none of us have power we banded our resources early on to help with yard cleanup, food waste, communication, and meals. Although a few houses took some robust damage no lives were lost. There is a neighbor at the end of the block on insulin but someone two blocks away got a generator on Wednesday and is letting her share.

The library:
I was at work when the storm hit, so we had to go to the basement with our staff, volunteers, and patrons. I was one of three managers in the building. We lost power about fifteen minutes in. Half an hour in, we heard the roof start to go.

After an hour we sent patrons and volunteers out while IT James and I assessed damage. Parts of the roof had been ripped off and ceiling tiles were collapsing in five sections of the library. We dismissed staff to head home and worked for another three hours.

Of course we have an emergency response plan but where do you even start with something like this? Our plan was written pre covid and we have changed so much in these past few months. He unplugged everything and tarped staff areas while I filled as many trash bags as I could with new materials and put them on the dry conference room table. I felt like I was on Supermarket Sweep.
Long story short, the building is permanently closed. Servicemaster has been there every day since Tuesday working to treat and recover materials. We will move into our new building March 2022 and will be spread in several pop up locations until then. We have been planning for both a new building and a bookmobile prior to this anyways thanks to the massive growth in the Marion community. The bookmobile will be a great way to provide service and joy to the community when it’s up and running.

Yesterday we opened a pop up technology station at a local park with a safe room and a generator. It was the closest thing to a normal day I’ve had! Folks were able to come in, use a computer, charge devices, and enjoy ac.

The Marion community:
As city employees we have been reassigned daily to help departments where need is greatest. So far I’ve been at information stations, ran charging stations (which is fancy branding for extension cords plugged into a generator), directed traffic (WHICH I LOVED), helped building inspectors, and worked at the dump.

Today’s shift is answering phones for the volunteer hotline. This will be the busiest day yet... so many are willing to lend a hand, a generator, a hot meal — it is such an amazing example of community! For instance, I tweeted about our tech station yesterday. Two hours later someone came in with a donation from a US Cellular store two hours away: hundreds of phone chargers and battery packs to give out!! I had two patrons cry when they got their battery packs. And honestly, I would be right there with them if I didn’t have to report to work somewhere with a generator. Most people are just charging phones in their cars.

We really are all in this together. It doesn’t matter what’s in your bank of debit cards don’t work. That freezer full of crockpot meals from March? Rotten by Wednesday. Although federal aid for cleanup help and recovery assistance is slow we are banding together. The day I worked at the dump was because the public service crews were digging a new yard waste location, since their compost facility filled up by Wednesday. Most of the folks I talked to were bringing in a neighborhood worth of food waste or yard waste. No need for thanks or payment, it was just what they needed to do to feel like they were helping.

I got a mask tan line on my face directing traffic but didn’t get heat stroke, thanks in part to the eight cars who stopped to give me a bottle of water!!

There is so much need and uncertainty but focusing on the positives is making it easier to move forward.

Here’s a good story to end on. The children’s librarian was staffing our city information table at Wal-Mart on Friday and the mom of the children in the basement recognized her and came up to say hi. It took them 45 minutes to drive the 10 blocks home, but there was a room to come back to. She wanted to thank Lara for distracting the kids — and her. “You made us safe,” she said. “We had no idea what was happening and we are so grateful.”

I can only text and tweet from home so thank you for your patience as I am slow to respond.

Sending lots of love!!

Take care,
Madeline

Citation

“Check In Email Sunday After Derecho - Madeline Jarvis,” Marion Derecho Digital Archive, accessed May 17, 2024, https://derecho2020.omeka.net/items/show/68.

Output Formats