After a Derecho in Iowa or Illinois: Matching Each Repair to the Right Trade

August 10, 2020: the storm the region measures against

The NWS Chicago event summary puts the derecho's damage at $11.5 billion over more than 90,000 square miles, calls it the costliest known thunderstorm event in modern U.S. history, and counts at least 26 tornadoes and four deaths.

Eastern Iowa took the worst of it. NWS Quad Cities found damage consistent with 100 to 130 mph winds from Benton County through parts of Linn, Jones, Cedar and Clinton counties, and estimated winds near 140 mph at an apartment complex in southwest Cedar Rapids. The same summary says many towns sat under damaging gusts for 30 to 60 minutes, where a derecho usually delivers 10 to 20.

To the west, NWS Des Moines logged an official 99 mph gust at the Marshalltown airport and placed the strongest winds between U.S. Highway 30 and Interstate 80, a corridor that takes in the Des Moines metro. The Storm Prediction Center's report log for that day carries a 130 mph report three miles west-southwest of Cedar Rapids, where a small strip mall lost its roof.

FEMA declared DR-4557-IA on August 17, 2020. The declaration page shows more than $11.4 million approved through the Individuals and Households Program across 3,092 approved applications.

Which contractor handles which repair

Wind damage shows up as one mess, but the work splits into separate trades, each with its own paperwork. Sort the list before you call anyone.

Two rules cut across every trade. If the house was built before 1978, the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces to be certified in lead-safe work practices, and Iowa runs its own EPA-authorized version of that program. And the FTC's storm-scam guidance says to confirm a contractor's license and insurance with your state or county and never to sign your insurance check over to a contractor.

Iowa: contractor registration with DIAL

Iowa Code chapter 91C requires construction contractors who earn at least $2,000 a year from construction to register with the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. DIAL's registration page names roofers, carpenters and painters among the trades covered and exempts work on your own property.

To search any company, use the "Check a contractor license" lookup linked from that same DIAL page. Under 481 IAC chapter 465, a registration number is the letter C followed by six digits; until July 2025 those rules sat in the Labor Services Division's chapter. Out-of-state contractors must file a $25,000 bond, but DIAL says only the State of Iowa and its agencies can collect on it, so it secures state taxes rather than your repair. Subcontractors need their own registration, and a first violation can draw a $500 citation.

Illinois: a roofing license from IDFPR

Illinois licenses roofers under the Roofing Industry Licensing Act, 225 ILCS 335. A limited license covers residential buildings of eight units or fewer; an unlimited license adds commercial and industrial roofs. The license number and name must appear on contracts, bids, advertising and work vehicles, and a local permit office may not issue a roofing permit without proof of a current state license.

The Act's contract section requires a signed written contract before roofing work starts, including a rescission clause that lets you cancel within 72 hours and get any deposit back, and a bold-type statement that the roofer will hold your payment in trust until materials reach the site or most of the work is done. Look up a roofer on IDFPR's license lookup.

For siding, windows and other non-roof work, the Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires a written contract before any job over $1,000 and a copy of the pamphlet "Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights." After a windstorm or hailstorm that damages more than one home, a contractor may not promise to pay or rebate your insurance deductible.

Hail between derechos

Wind makes the headlines, but hail keeps these crews busy in ordinary years. NOAA's Storm Events Database records 127 hail events of 1 inch or larger in Polk County from 2016 through 2025, the most of any Iowa county, and 147 in Cook County, the most in Illinois (NCEI). Statewide, the same database counts 2,638 such events in Iowa and 2,210 in Illinois over those ten years.

Pick your area

• Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Waterloo: Linn County's 122-knot derecho entry and the hail record around it.
• Des Moines: Polk County's hail lead, its tornadoes and its newest FEMA declaration.
• Chicagoland: Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will, with Illinois licensing in practice.
• Quad Cities and Peoria: two states' rules in one metro, plus Peoria's hail losses.

The National Roofing Directory keeps state pages for Iowa roofing contractors and Illinois roofing contractors, storm centers for Iowa and Illinois, and licensing summaries for Iowa and Illinois.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a roofer, a siding company or a general contractor after a derecho?

If only one system failed, call that trade. When roof, siding and windows all need work, one company may coordinate the job, but in Illinois the roofing itself must be done by a licensed roofer, and a seller of roofing services may subcontract only to licensed roofing contractors under Section 9 of the Act.

How do I check an Iowa contractor's registration?

Search the company name or number on the state's public contractor search, linked from DIAL's registration page. A valid number starts with the letter C and has six digits under Iowa's rules, and every subcontractor on your job should have its own.

Can an Illinois contractor cover my insurance deductible?

No. After a storm that damages more than one home, the Home Repair and Remodeling Act bars contractors from advertising or promising to pay or rebate a deductible, and Illinois roofing contracts must state in writing that the roofer cannot do it.

Did FEMA declare a disaster in Iowa for the 2020 derecho?

Yes. DR-4557-IA was declared on August 17, 2020, for the August 10 severe storms, and its designated areas include Linn, Johnson, Polk and Scott counties.