DES MOINES, Iowa — On Saturday morning, the city of Des Moines hosted a free drop-off at the city compost site for tree limbs branches and other debris. The event gave residents an opportunity to finally dispose of that storm debris after a long week of storms.
It was the first chance for people living in Des Moines to get rid of their of damaged trees, as the city will do one clean sweep through Tuesday and asks residents to have branches and tree debris at the curb by 7 a.m.
Dozens of families brought pick-up trucks full of branches and limbs to dispose.
"Every time we have a big thunderstorm, or big heavy tornado, or anything like that, it knocks our trees down, said Makhdoom Kahan of the Islamic Center of Des Moines.
Kahan said he was saddened to see the fruit trees damaged from this week's storms. He had been at home when the sirens sounded Tuesday, and recalled bring in the bathroom.
"The wind came up so strong, that it was shaking the house," he said.
It was a scary moment for many as winds whipped through the metro and hail crashed down from the sky in surrounding cities.
The forecast for the holiday weekend doesn't show high chances for severe weather. It's a break many people are asking for, including Des Moines resident Ralph Rieck, who dumped off tree branches and limbs Saturday, telling Local 5, "It's a wild year."