@broadwaybabyto if they were struck by a derecho those are brutal. Basically a inland hurricane, except none of the plants or infrastructure are prepared for such a weather event so it's extremely devastating to power grids as trees take down power lines everywhere at once. I knew folks in Iowa City who were without power for nearly 2 months following the derecho that hit there (and that same storm knocked down so many power lines and trees where I live that the city actually ran out of traffic comes while triaging the aftermath!)

Of course, if derechos become more common with climate change, it's only a matter of time until the Midwest starts applying hurricane-resistance methods to the infrastructure here that previously wasn't cost effective for the risk