A HURRICANE WIND.....THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE CALLING THE WIND THAT HIT
THE KMAQ AREA AND MUCH OF IOWA YESTERDAY.
SOME WINDS MEASURED OVER A HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR.
MAQUOKETA WAS HIT VERY HARD, THE SOUTHERN HALF A LITTLE MORE THAN
THE NORTHERN HALF. CLEAN-UP CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
ELECTRICITY IS COMPLETELY BACK, WITH THE LAST COMING ON THIS MORNING.
MANY SURROUNDING TOWNS AND CITIES HAD IT WORSE THAN MAQUOKETA,
INCLUDING WYOMING, LOST NATION, CLINTON, AND CLARENCE AND LOWDEN
ESPECIALLY. SOME OF THESE COMMUNITES, INCLUDING OXFORD JUNCTION,
WILL NOT HAVE ELECTRICITY FOR SEVERAL DAYS, AND MAYBE A WEEK
OR MORE. DAVENPORT, MARION, CEDAR RAPIDS, ALL SUFFERED HUGE
TREE AND OTHER DAMAGE.
MANY SEMI TRUCKS WERE BLOWN OVER BY THE STORM.
ME...I LOST A SHED AT THE DRIVE-IN THEATRE THAT HOUSED THE
TRAIN, MOWER AND MISC. THINGS. BUT THE SCREEN STANDS.... READY
FOR ANOTHER BIG SHOW TONIGHT.
OH, A MENTION ABOUT GAS. ONE PERSON I TALKED TO DROVE 20 MILES TO MAQUOKETA THIS MORNING WITH 5-GALLON CANS, TO GET GAS THAT WAS NOT AVAILABLE IN HIS TOWN BECAUSE OF NO ELECTRICITY. HE NEEDED THE GAS
MAINLY FOR HIS SMALL 4-OUTLET GENERATOR. THE GENERATOR NOT BIG
ENOUGH TO RUN HIS AIR-CONDITIONER HOWEVER.
FOOD? ANOTHER PERSON TOLD ME A McDONALDS IN BETTENDORF HAD, SHE GUESSED, NEARLY 50 CARS IN LINE THIS MORNING FOR BREAKFAST.
FOR OVER A CENTURY, MAQUOKETA HAS BEEN KNOWN AS THE "TIMBER CITY"
A LOT OF THAT OLD TIMBER IS GONE TODAY.
THE STORM..,...ANOTHER REASON WHY THE YEAR 2020 IS A YEAR WE WILL NEVER FORGET.
THESE DAYS....MANY TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME....AND PRAY TODAY WILL
BE BETTER THAN YESTERDAY.
TAKE CARE AND STAY SAFE.
DENNIS VOY
