August 18, 2020
David Swenson, research scientist, was interviewed for an Aug. 18 Des Moines Register article, "Iowa estimates that derecho damage to homes, farms will be close to $4 billion. Will it go higher?"
"It's an aspirational number that may or may not be grounded in actual damages," Swenson said. "The bulk of the damage is agricultural, and if that's the case, it's a little silly. Most of the damage will be covered by crop insurance."
Swenson appeared on Iowa Public Radio's Talk of Iowa Aug. 20 to discuss the derecho’s impact on agriculture and rural communities and the economic response to disasters.