When the Thunder Spoke Over Lake Michigan

On August 10, 2020, a derecho — a massive inland hurricane — tore across the Midwest at over 100 miles per hour. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, trees that had stood for a century snapped like matchsticks. Power lines twisted into knots. The sky turned green, then black. Sara Phelps, a pastor at a small church on the east side, huddled in her basement with her two daughters and listened to the roar overhead.…