Workers inside the Chippiannock Cemetery are reliving the storm that tore apart its cemetery on July 21, 2008.
Superintendent Greg Vogele said 150 trees fell down to the ground that day. The National Weather Service meteorologists said that a derecho hit the Quad Cities that day.
A derecho is a very strong wind storm. Meteorologists measured the winds at 80-90 miles per hour that day. That is at level one hurricane force.
It took the cemetery about a year to clean up most of the cemetery. Vogele told us Wednesday that they are still cleaning up minor portions of debris even five years later.
Vogele had up to $2,000 worth of damage from the storm. Across the street, 40-50 trees fell down at the Calvary Cemetery.
The city spent more than $600,000 on cleanup after the July 21st storms. Rock Island lost more than 1,000 trees city-wide.