When a derecho slammed into the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in 2020, Diana Lokenvitz had time for exactly one glance out her window. Within seconds of the storm hitting the plant, 130-mile-per-hour winds had severed all six of its external power lines, triggering an automatic emergency shutdown. Twelve water-cooling towers once watched over the plant like two rows of soldiers, releasing steam from water used to cool the nuclear reactor. After 45 years of operation, the Duane Arnold Energy Center was shut down. The plant was already scheduled for decommissioning within months, leaving little time or financial incentive to repair the storm-damaged facility.