Clean up efforts continue in Rockwell, after what the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has classified as a derecho, swept through northern and eastern Iowa during the evening hours July 28th and the early morning hours of July 29th.
Rockwell Mayor Larry Wentz tells RadioOnTheGo News city and state officials are still assessing the damage from last week’s storms, but early indications show approximately 100 trees were either damaged or completely uprooted in the city.
“The most devastating thing, I want to say, is the cemetery just from sheer devastation, I guess is the word I’m trying to say. There’s not a lot of damage, but it’s just how sad it is that, those old trees are down and have to come down. And the effort it takes is to get those trees out of there because we need to be so delicate around the headstones and to take such care around all the plots there and everything. We just want to make sure that we’re, taking care of the property itself and being cautious. We’re doing it as careful and as delicate as possible. there’s a lot of large trees, there’s an old fence that’s going to be replaced or, you know, lot of repairs need to be done on the fence at the cemetery, but that’s where our focus is right now.”
Rockwell residents have been asked to take tree debris at a temporary dump site, located just north of the catholic church. Wentz says despite the damage that was left behind, a lot of people have stepped up to assist with clean up efforts.
“Obviously our city workers have been fabulous. Those guys have put in a lot of hours, got the city cleaned up. You they got started right away that morning and they just keep plugging away here, getting it done. They (keep) updating me every day where we’re at. And the DOT has been wonderful, getting in town, getting communicating with us right away. Emergency management, Cerro Gordo County has been in contact with me just about every day, helping me out with different paperwork, different departments I need to talk to. And again, the other businesses that reached out to us you know Hy-Vee, kind of reached out, made some donations to town for water and, yeah, everybody else in town, was an amazing scene all week where, ‘Hey, I got a chainsaw who needs to borrow one.’ ‘Let me come over, help you cut down trees’ and just everybody helping out. Nobody’s upset. It hasn’t really caused a stir. It’s just a great community come together. We just kind of got it done.”
For the latest on clean up efforts in Rockwell, you can visit the City of Rockwell Facebook page or the police department Facebook page.
Photo courtesy of Rockwell Mayor Larry Wentz, which shows the tree debris drop-off site north of the catholic church
