Restoring electricity remains a high priority for many locals who have had to throw away their supplies and endure the continued summer heat after the storm.
Alliant Energy, a major supplier in the region, said at least 90% of those affected will have their electricity restored by midnight Tuesday.
Meanwhile,
make pantries have sprung up in the state to help those in need, with at least five openings in Cedar Rapids, according to the city’s update resource page
Pamela Smith, a Cedar Rapids resident and mother of five, told CNN affiliate KCRG on Monday that she had to throw away $ 400 worth of groceries after days without power after the storm.
“We can’t afford it,” Smith told KCRG. “The financial aspect is the hardest part, making sure we have enough money for everything.”
Cedar Rapids has been one of the hardest hit cities – with more than 800 buildings suffering from partial roof, wall, ceiling or floor collapse, Cedar Rapids Fire Chief Greg Smith said on Friday . More than 20 school buildings in the city were also damaged.
“It’s like a battlefield,” said veteran Tim Kipping, who served as a Marine in Desert Storm, as he stood outside a decimated apartment complex where the crew said he could smell rotten food. “It literally looks like the building was hit by artillery shells.”
At least 50 people remained in shelters in the city on Monday evening with more space available, the city of Cedar Rapids said in
a tweet. About 50 people were taken to hospital for treatment after the storm.
The governor said restoring electricity was a “top priority”. President Donald Trump is expected to visit the state to study the damage on Tuesday.
The Midwest helps each other
Those whose homes are still habitable try to clear trees and other debris as they face continuous blackouts.
“In the modern age of working from home, that means we can’t do anything at all because there’s no internet, nothing at all,” Adam Albright, a Grinnell resident, told KCCI, affiliated with CNN.
What shone in the wake of the storm was the spirit of the Midwest, with neighbors helping neighbors and people rushing to help clean up the mess.
“A lot of us will go out and make sure we clean up, but we’re really worried about the people in town who still don’t have electricity,” said Sarah Smith, a Grinnell resident. “We are trying to make sure that we are looking for these people and getting them the help they need.”
Over the weekend, soldiers from the 831st Engineer Company worked to clear the felled trees so that a substation powering Cedar Rapids could be reached for repair, the Iowa National Guard tweeted.
Cleanup crews from as far away as South Carolina have traveled to the state to help, the governor said in a
tweet Monday, thanking them. Wisconsin residents Dave and Diane Lobermeier drove over 300 miles to drop off supplies at Cedar Rapids, before picking up a chainsaw to help cut trees on the street, KCRG reported.
“These are people who help people,” Dave Lobermeier told the affiliate. “That’s what the Midwests do,” added Diane Lobermeier.
CNN’s Raja Razek contributed to this report.
