Thousands of Iowans were left without power after a massive derecho storm hit much of the state and residents want to know why the government isn't reacting with more urgency.
Citizens are wondering if help will ever arrive.
“We cannot pull ourselves up by the bootstraps without boots,” Desiree Sade, a Cedar Rapids resident told IowaWatch.
Help is coming, state leaders said. At a news conference on Aug. 14, Reynolds reported the damage and said the emergency declaration was already approved during the speech.
"On Monday, a massive weather event swept across the state like nothing we've ever seen in recent history," Reynolds said in a news conference. "Most of us have never heard of a derecho before then, but now we know it all too well. It was basically a 40-mile wide tornado with wind gusts of up to 140 mph. It lasted up to 14 hours covering over 770 miles.
She said that the devastation left thousands of citizens without power. Reynolds said she approved a declaration. Reynolds is facing questions from Iowans criticizing what they see as a lack of urgency to ask President Donald Trump for a federal disaster declaration.
According to KWWL, Reynolds has deployed the National Guard to Cedar Rapids.
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