power began to come back on for most St. Louis citizens. Illinois was entirely up and running by July 27. The Florissant, Missouri area, which was hardest hit, was finally turned on by July 29, ten days after the storm. The storms left a heightened awareness within local and state governments that this is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country inside the outer belt of "Tornado Alley"; hence it is not completely safe. Ameren UE was criticized by some for not attending to their needs as quickly as others. Origin and demise The derecho had an unusual directional path. It originated in extreme Southeastern South Dakota. It pushed eastward through the Minneapolis area before starting its southeastern descent. The line rocked through the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa with 50-60 mph winds knocking out power to 127,000 before making another southerly turn. It hit Springfield, Illinois head-on with over 80 mph winds and it prompted a tornado warning although no touchdown was confirmed. The storm then made an odd southwesterly turn which put it on a collision course with St. Louis. After hitting St. Louis, the storm stayed on a southwesterly track through the Ozarks of south-central Missouri. The derecho finally fizzled out in northern Arkansas. Mississippi-Ohio Valley derecho event (July 21, 2006) After a day of only scattered severe weather on July 20, another derecho took place on July 21. With 130 km/h (80 mph) winds, the storm battered the same areas that had been affected previously. Ameren estimated that the total number of power outages from both this storm and the July 19 storm exceeded 1 million. St. Louis area Barely 36 hours after being hit very hard by the July 19 storms, another derecho — albeit still developing at the time — slammed into the St. Louis area late that morning. The storm moved southeastward directly over St. Louis and caused more damage to an already damaged St. Louis. Many of the citizens whose power was restored was taken out again. Missouri Governor Matt Blunt declared St Louis a State of Emergency and sent the National Guard to assist the citizens with shelter, food, supplies, etc. Heatwave The derecho that crossed into Ontario and Quebec was the result of a warm and very humid airmass that had plagued much of Central and Eastern Canada and the vast majority of the continental U.S. Temperatures