99 MPH Winds Killed Three and Left 199,000 Indiana Homes Dark for Ten Days

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The Ready Brief #170

Practical preparedness for uncertain times

A derecho hit the Midwest a few years back. Straight-line winds over 100 mph. A million people lost power. The damage looked like a tornado had hit, but the affected area was 770 miles long. Most people in the damage path had never heard the word "derecho" before that day. Today we cover the wind events that aren't tornadoes but are every bit as destructive.

Here's what I've got this weekend:

When the Wind Doesn't Spin: Derechos, Microbursts, and Straight-Line Winds

We covered tornado preparedness in Issue 145 and severe weather in Issue 26. Today's issue addresses the non-rotating wind events that cause comparable destruction but receive far less public awareness.

A derecho is a widespread, long-lived windstorm associated with a band of rapidly moving thunderstorms. Wind speeds can exceed 100 mph. The damage path can be hundreds of miles long and dozens of miles wide. Unlike a tornado, which leaves a narrow track, a derecho flattens everything across a massive area. Warning time is typically 15 to 30 minutes once the storm is identified, though forecasters can identify derecho-favorable conditions hours in advance.

A microburst is a column of sinking air that produces damaging winds at the surface, often 60 to 100+ mph, over a small area (less than 2.5 miles across). They last 5 to 15 minutes. They can occur with or without rain. Warning time is essentially zero for the specific location, though severe thunderstorm warnings indicate microburst potential.

Straight-line winds from severe thunderstorms routinely reach 60 to 80 mph and cause the majority of non-tornado wind damage in the US each year. They down trees, tear off siding, break windows, and knock out power.

The preparation for all three is similar to tornado preparation with one key difference: the affected area is typically much larger. A tornado shelter protects against the narrow track. Extreme wind events may affect your entire county or region, meaning widespread power outages, road blockages, and extended recovery.

Your shelter-in-place is the same: interior room, away from windows, lowest floor. Your post-event needs are the same: stored supplies for extended outage (Issue 21), communication plan (Issue 99), and community coordination (Issue 70).

The specific addition for wind events: secure outdoor items before the storm. Patio furniture, trampolines, grills, and anything not bolted down becomes a projectile in 80 mph winds. If severe thunderstorm warnings mention "damaging winds" or "wind gusts over 70 mph," bring everything inside or secure it.

Walk around your yard and identify everything that would become a projectile in 80 mph wind.

Patio furniture, flower pots, loose tools, kids' toys, trash cans, anything not anchored. Know what needs to come inside when a severe wind warning is issued. That awareness takes 5 minutes and prevents property damage.

The Cyclospora Outbreak We First Flagged at 145 Cases Just Passed 13,895

We put this on the radar in Issue 133 at 145 confirmed cases across 17 states. By Issue 147 it was 1,645 cases in 34 states. CDC's latest surveillance update, covering May 1 through August 10, now counts 13,895 laboratory-confirmed domestic cases across 47 states plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico, with at least 10,455 more infections still awaiting confirmation. That is roughly 96 times the number we first flagged, in eight weeks. Hospitalizations stand at 740, and there have been 2 deaths, both in Michigan. For scale, the same May-to-August window in 2025 produced 1,180 cases nationally.

It has not slowed. Confirmed cases went from 10,468 on August 3 to 13,895 on August 10, a jump of 3,427 in a single week, while hospitalizations climbed from 517 to 740 over those same seven days. HHS said on August 12 that American food is safe. The CDC's own caveat is more useful: there is roughly a six-week lag between getting sick and getting counted, so this week's spike reflects exposures from early July rather than new ones.

The source question is settled. FDA's traceback is complete and points to a single supplier: iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico, the company's central Mexico processor. Taylor Farms recalled all of it on July 17, and every best-by date on the recalled product has since passed, so it is off shelves and out of restaurant kitchens.

Treatment has not improved, and that is the worrying part. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, one double-strength tablet twice a day for 7 to 10 days, is still the only drug that reliably works, and CDC's clinical guidance has not been updated since February 2024. Azithromycin, doxycycline, metronidazole, and albendazole were all tested and none of them worked. For anyone with a sulfa allergy, CDC says plainly that no highly effective alternative exists: the options are supportive care or desensitization under an allergist. If "sulfa allergy" sits on your chart and nobody has ever verified it, this is a good week to find out whether it is real.

This is what the radar is for. We flag a number while it's small, then check back to see whether it faded or kept climbing. This one keeps climbing.

Source: CDC Cyclosporiasis Surveillance, CDC Outbreak Investigation, CDC Clinical Care, Newsweek

EJ Snyder has weathered extreme conditions on Naked and Afraid including tropical storms and high-wind events in exposed environments with no shelter. His approach is consistent: get low, get behind something solid, and protect your head. The same principles that apply in the wilderness apply at home.

Snyder's practical emphasis: wind events create two phases of danger. Phase one is the wind itself. Phase two is the aftermath: downed trees, live power lines, blocked roads, and extended outages. Being prepared for phase two (your standard outage preparation) is as important as surviving phase one.

Emergency Home Preparedness: about $19 for the paperback, Snyder's own guide to the phase-two problem of riding out the aftermath at home.

Four Days After the Derecho, 199,000 Indiana Homes Are Still Dark and the Governor Is Asking for FEMA

The August 11 derecho carved a damage swath from eastern Iowa across Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio into Kentucky, with a peak measured gust of 99 mph at Gary/Chicago International Airport and widespread 70 to 100+ mph straight-line winds. Three people were killed. More than 800,000 customers lost power across four states. NIPSCO alone hit 313,000, roughly 60% of its electric customers, and called it the largest outage event in the company's history.

Four days later it still isn't fixed. PowerOutage.us showed 199,111 Indiana customers dark Friday night, and NIPSCO's published timeline runs to full restoration on August 21. Governor Braun declared a statewide disaster emergency covering 18 counties, mobilized the National Guard, and requested a Presidential Emergency Declaration on August 14.

The storm lasted a few hours. The outage is running ten days. If your outage supplies are sized for the event, they're sized wrong. Size them for the recovery.

Source: NWS Chicago, PowerOutage.us, WNDU, WIBC

Rhino USA Ratchet Straps (4-Pack) Plus Concrete Anchor Points

We installed anchor points in our patio concrete and use ratchet straps to secure heavy furniture before severe weather. The anchors are permanent, about $12 for four wedge anchors at any hardware store. The straps are reusable and get used year-round: the Rhino USA 4-pack runs about $37 for four 1-inch by 15-foot straps rated to 1,823 lbs break strength, with a lifetime warranty. Securing the patio takes about 5 minutes.

Before we installed them, a windstorm threw a patio chair through a neighbor's windshield. Since installing them, our furniture has stayed put through two severe thunderstorm events with 70+ mph gusts. About $50 all in, and the straps outlive the storm season by a decade.

Budget alternative: Bring everything inside. Free. The most reliable method is removing projectiles from the equation entirely.

Overrated: Hurricane shutters for non-hurricane regions. The expense and installation complexity aren't justified for areas where wind events are occasional rather than seasonal. Plywood panels pre-cut for your windows ($20 to $40) provide similar protection at a fraction of the cost.

Underrated: The SPC mesoscale discussion. When the Storm Prediction Center issues a mesoscale discussion mentioning derecho potential or significant wind events, that's your 1 to 3 hour advance warning. It's more specific and earlier than the watches that follow. Available free at spc.noaa.gov.

SPC.noaa.gov: Storm Prediction Center mesoscale discussions and severe weather outlooks.

NWS: Straight-Line Winds, Downbursts, and Derechos: How each one forms, how to tell the damage apart, and why debris lays out in parallel rows instead of scattering.

PowerOutage.us: Real-time outage tracking for post-wind-event awareness.

Weather.gov: Your local NWS office for area-specific forecasts and warnings.

NSSL Severe Weather 101: Damaging Winds: NOAA's research lab on why straight-line winds account for half of all severe weather reports in the lower 48.

Precious metals and alternative currency. A practical, non-hype assessment of gold, silver, and cryptocurrency for financial preparedness.

PS: The 2020 Midwest derecho caused $11 billion in damage. Most of the affected population had never heard of a derecho. They thought it was a tornado. The distinction doesn't matter to the trees on your house. But understanding the scope, duration, and preparation for wide-area wind events matters for your recovery plan.