ADEL, Iowa — Dallas County property owners suffered an estimated $9.3 million in damage from the Aug. 10 derecho wind storm, a number that does not include the county’s share in Iowa’s 10 million acres of damaged crops and 25 million bushels of stored grain destroyed.
Dallas County Emergency Management Coordinator A. J. Seely presented the grim statistics Tuesday to the Dallas County Board of Supervisors. The losses were largely confined to the northern end of the county, Seely said, with Dawson, Perry, Bouton and Woodward taking the brunt of the record-breaking winds.
By Seely’s estimate, some $2.6 million in damage was sustained by 198 residential homes, including three structures completely destroyed, 16 suffering major damage, 25 sustaining minor damage and 138 receiving cosmetic damage.
Major damage is defined as damage that leaves a property uninhabitable and with an estimated repair time of more than 30 days. Minor damage also leaves property uninhabitable but repairable within fewer than 30 days. Properties with cosmetic damage are still livable.
Seely said $5.2 million in damage occurred to 34 commercial properties countywide, including four totally destroyed properties, two with major damage, seven with minor harm and 18 with cosmetic damage. The category of commercial properties includes agricultural buildings, such as silos, barns, loafing sheds and the like.
An additional $1.5 million in damage was suffered by governmental infrastructure or public properties, with another $3 million to $4 million in the cost of debris removal.
“These are subject to change,” Seely said. “Probably, if they’re going to change, they’re going to go up because, like I said, the assessment was very targeted, and additional residence could pop up on here that aren’t already in here.”
Dallas County was one of 22 Iowa counties made eligible for state relief through the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and the Disaster Case Management Program following a disaster proclamation issued Aug. 11 by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The state has also secured federal relief after the Iowa Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security added the Dallas County numbers to the statewide damage total and used the figure to apply for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
U.S. President Donald Trump approved assistance Aug. 17 to governmental entities and non-profit organizations. Trump approved FEMA assistance to individual homeowners in Linn County Thursday.
Seely’s damage assessment did not include losses to crops and livestock in Dallas County. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) has estimated a loss of 8.2 million acres of corn and 5.6 million acres of soybeans across 57 Iowa counties.
Susan Kozak, director of the IDALS Soil Conservation and Water Quality Division, said estimates on crop losses are produced by the office of the State Climatologist, using satellite imagery, in consultation with the IDALS and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“I also saw one of the numbers attributed to the National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS),” Kozak said. “I think they’re also putting together some of those statistics. The state climatologist is working on it, but then there are other entities, like USDA and FSA. A lot of people are trying to assess all of this and follow up. The (USDA) Risk Management Association on the crop-insurance side, they’re also very busy right now trying to figure it all out.”
The Dallas County office of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Dallas County FSA office and Dallas County Farm Bureau office were unable to provide any information on crop damage in the county.
Dallas County Engineer Al Miller and Dallas County Conservation Board Director Mike Wallace also reported to the county supervisors on damage to county roads, trails and facilities.
Perry City Administrator Sven Peterson said Seely’s office assessed the damage in Perry while the city’s crews took on the cleanup task.
“It’s been a stressful time but also a good time to see some community happen,” Peterson said Wednesday. “That’s a positive that came out of it.”
A number of disaster-assistance programs are available through the Iowa Department of Human Services, including food assistance and mental health counseling.
The crops team with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is compiling helpful resources that cover topics such as safety and well-being, evaluating crops, grain storage, silage options and similar topics.
The Iowa Association of Realtors (IAR) is also offering storm relief through a $250,000 grant from the National Association of Realtors. The grant can help with mortgage payments or rental costs up to $1,000 per applicant. For more information, contact the IAR at derechorelief@iowarealtors.com or 800-532-1515.
