Disaster Response

Rebuilding After the Iowa Derecho

Lutherans organized a collaborative response to care for those impacted by a massive wind storm in Iowa in 2020.

Photography by Erik M. Lunsford

On Aug. 10, 2020, a massive “derecho” wind storm tore through the Midwest, hitting thousands of square miles with winds of up to 112 mph. The storm took down trees and power lines, leveled corn crops, and cut off power and phone service throughout a massive region spanning much of Iowa and parts of Nebraska and Illinois.

St. John Lutheran Church, Keystone, Iowa, and Central Lutheran School, Newhall, Iowa, both lost portions of their roofs. Many members of these church and school communities suffered damage to their homes and farms.

Within an hour of the storm, Lutheran Early Response Teams (LERT) from LCMS Iowa District East were on the ground doing emergency chainsaw work. Shortly thereafter, more volunteers from the Kansas, Missouri and Southern districts were on their way as well.

LCMS Disaster Response provided funding for the volunteers to stay at Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca near Solon, Iowa. It also provided chainsaws, generators and other necessary equipment. In addition, Iowa District East was able to cover affected LCMS congregations’ insurance deductibles with funds left over from the 2008 Iowa flood disaster response.

“The collaborative Synod disaster response to the catastrophic damage in Iowa is wonderful to see,” said the Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson, director of LCMS Disaster Response. “LCMS Disaster Response, district leadership, Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca, LCMS congregations, Lutheran schools, Iowa LERT teams and chainsaw teams from multiple other districts are all working together to help the Iowans in the name of Christ.”

LCMS Disaster Response is an important part of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s efforts to bring the love and mercy of Christ to those in need. LCMS Disaster Response is funded through the generosity of contributors who give specifically to this work.

Learn More

Reporter article: Lutherans Respond After ‘Derecho’ Wind Storm Devastates Iowa Cities and Farms

Lutherans Engage article: The One Thing Still Standing

Learn about upcoming trainings and deployments on the LERT website