A 54-year-old man died in Des Moines just before 8 a.m. Thursday after a falling tree struck him during the morning storms. He died at the scene, becoming the clearest fatal toll yet from a weather system that was still tearing through Iowa’s recovery efforts hours later.
The death came as utility crews were already racing to clear damage left behind by Wednesday’s storms and a fresh round of problems that followed. MidAmerican Energy said Thursday afternoon it had restored power to more than 17,000 customers, but about 65 were still without service at noon and thousands more remained in the dark in Waterloo, Charles City and several counties.
That is why the search for Kwwl today is about more than a single outage update. MidAmerican said the remaining 65 customers were expected back online by 6 p.m. Thursday, while service to about 2,600 customers in Waterloo and Charles City was expected to be restored by noon Friday. More than 300 line workers and 150 tree crew members were out Thursday afternoon, working through downed trees, broken poles and damaged power lines.
The scale of the damage was still showing up across Iowa in the morning counts. Around 10 a.m., Poweroutage.us reported 1,743 people without power in Black Hawk County, 1,075 in Keokuk County, 647 in Grundy County and 485 in Butler County. Even after much of the system had been repaired, the numbers made clear that the storm’s reach was still broad.
There was also evidence of how the weather was interrupting everyday life beyond the grid. Flooding was seen on Edgewood road Thursday afternoon, while some activities were canceled until 1 p.m., open swim was to be re-evaluated as weather progressed and driving ranges were closed for the rest of the day. Cities including Asbury and Dubuque were offering free storm debris collection.
The fatality in Des Moines turned what might have been a routine restoration update into a more serious storm story. The immediate concern now is whether the cleanup and repairs can stay ahead of the next round of disruption, because for the people still waiting for lights, cleared roads and reopened facilities, Thursday was not yet over.
