Mahaska County Escapes Wild Storm
Rural Mahaska County resident Kenneth Mortensen surveys what’s left of his home’s roof that was blown off during a derecho on Wednesday evening.
December 17, 2021
Oskaloosa, Iowa – A wild and mostly unprecedented winter storm slammed into Mahaska County on Wednesday evening, bringing with it a max wind of 74 mph.
The storm was preceded by warmer than usual temperatures, with Wednesday reaching 77 degrees. The normal this time of year is around 35 degrees.
Weather forecasters prepared for a long night in front of computer screens while emergency responders were ready for the worst.
The safety concern was warranted after an early December storm had impacted the state of Kentucky with deadly consequences just days before.
In Mahaska County, Emergency Management pulled out the winterized equipment such as chain saws.
The four-county area task force was placed on standby in the event something significant happened within the area.
In Mahaska County, Incident Command was established with fire at the 911 Center for a rapid response to incidents and to help consolidate information as it came in.
There was extra 911 staff in place to assist, and other than tree damage that extended county-wide, there was some loss of power, such as Keomah Village.
There was also some minor structural damage to outbuildings, and a few roofs were damaged due to the wind.
Across the state of Iowa, there were at least five confirmed tornadoes and one death in what is now considered a derecho for the state. It’s the second such event in the past two years.
