Locally, they estimate winds peaked at 140mph. Trees down everywhere. I think it's called a derecho because of the sheer size of the storm. It really is like a hurricane, only not lasting hours, but instead, this one lasted about 40 minutes.
Heh, you don't like river towns based on Keokuk, a town that's been in decline since the 1930's? You know you're in a hole when you go to places like Burlington and Quincy for big city excitement. 
Clinton isn't much better.
The people in Clinton were nasty. My mom played bridge against a priest. His first parish was in Clinton. He said that he hoped her son had friends because no one in Clinton would have anything to do with him. In the bars most women in early 20s had been divorced with kids already.
In a town of 30,000 there was half a bookstore, in a loft above the Hallmark Greeting Card store. Mostly romance novels.
I played on the company softball team even though I was a spaz. In my experience such things are an excuse to drink. Everyone went home after the game. The only drinking was the Mormon who drank during the game.
There was an old German origin engineer at the plant with an Italian wife. When she found out I was leaving she told me that was right because the women in Clinton were ugly.
I worked at the corn wet milling plant in Keokuk for a couple weeks. After a hot sweaty day I dreamed of a gin and tonic after the day. At the hotel bar I ordered one. I almost spit it out. The bartender said they made theirs with seven up! ugh! I met a service guy who had worked at the plant. He said he was so bored he got married. Then divorced.
I met a farmer from a town 20 miles west of Clinton, moving his daughter into Clinton. He made a comment about the nasty river town people. It made me think.
I moved to Chicago, and after some training, got my first assignment. It was in Des Moines IA.
The people there were wonderful midwest people. Yay!
