Eastern Iowa residents fear power could be out for weeks, state unable to provide timeline

LINN COUNTY — The sunshine Tuesday made the damage and destruction very clear to see across eastern Iowa. So many in our community are still without power and so the waiting game goes on.

Rick Thompson slices up a fallen tree, the remnants of catastrophe, with as much precision as the severe weather that brought the tree crashing into his yard.

"It's painful. Here I am day one and already it's painful," Thompson said.

He said the devastation of Monday's straight-line winds is brutal.

"We have no electricity, no ability to charge the phone," Thompson said.

But he said his fear is if the power isn't off for days, but for weeks, or longer.

"Today the plan is to clean up this crap, all the lines. Try to relax a bit and wait for the power to come back. Really what can we do?," Thompson said.

"I don't think anyone should have an expectation that power will be back on anytime soon," Linn County Emergency Management Director Steve O'Konek said.

Governor Kim Reynolds said the state is working to bring electrical workers from across the country to get the lights turned back on in Iowa. At peak there were more than half a million people without power.

"Linn, Marshal and Scott counties especially hit hard in regards to electrical grid," Reynolds said at her press conference on Tuesday.

The issue crews face is not distribution to individual homes but getting the main feed of power up and running into the region.

"Utility crews are working 24/7. At this time there is no identified time of restoration of service," Chair of Iowa Utilities Board, Geri Huser said.

"Cell service will come back. Power will come back. Debris will be cleaned up. But back to normal will not, could literally not be back for months," O'Konek said.

"Just go out here and help the neighbors. Got some garages and old structures that aren't safe so I'll tear them down. Day by day until I go back to work," Thompson said.

Iowa's News Now is frequently checking on the power situation.

According to PowerOutageUS.com, there are more than 380,000 Iowans still without power.

More than 107,000 of those customers are in Linn County.

At one point 97% of Linn County was without electricity.

You can call 211 if you're unable to contact your utility company.